Legend of Zelda: The True Force
by Hikari no Vikki
Summary: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After thousands of years, a New Hyrule is built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself when a certain Desert King has designs on the entire universe!
1. Of Learning

Chapter One: Of Learning

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><p>Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force<p>

Chapter: 1

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda or Star Wars. Just the plot.

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

The idea just sprung into my head as ideas often do. If this thing is ever put up here, know that I actually thought the story through before I posted it. (Lies, all lies. I was just bored. And I had some help from a friend. He knows who he is. -grin- ) It really appealed to me as a story so I just went with it. Hope you enjoy it!

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><p>"The old magic still exists."<p>

The tree spoke, his old spirit showing in his voice. This was the enduring spirit of the Great Deku Tree, a single fairy listening to his story.

"Does it really?" asked the fairy. "Yes. Of course it does. Why else do you think I would still be here, Navi?" The fairy, Navi, bobbed up and down, the tree seeing through her blinding glowing light that revealed her scantily clothed but beautiful form.

"Again I sense dark magic spreading across the land as I did so many years ago. That is why I've called you here, precious one. You know, you remind me so much of her." Navi tilted her head, her blue curls swaying.

"Her?" The tree nodded, or whatever could be interpreted as such. "The fairy that once bore your name. I called her here, too, long ago."

Navi was silent, still in awe of the Deku Tree, still waiting for her orders.

"But, I digress. You recall the boy without a fairy? The one who was brought here many years ago? He should be about ten, now, I think." Navi giggled mentally. The Tree was always rambling like this nowadays.

"Bring him here. The fate of this new world depends upon you!"

The Deku Tree's booming voice forced Navi into a skittish flight, trying without succeeding in remembering where the boy's house was.

"Little Fairy?" She turned. The 'guard' of the entrance to the Deku Tree's pasture, Fado, asked the question. Navi fluttered nervously around his head, and next to his fairy, Mila. "Is something wrong?" Navi bounced up and down frantically. "That boy! The fairy-less one! I can't remember where he lives… the Deku Tree sent for him."

Fado thought for a moment, and remembered. "That way," he pointed, his short green sleeve sliding down to his shoulder, "just over those trees. To the right. There's a sign, too, I think." Navi bobbed up and down again. "Thank you so much!"

Fado smiled, waving at the fairy as she zoomed off. "You're welcome!"

Navi's wings fluttered fast, beating against the wind. She very nearly crashed into a fence on the way there, but somehow she made it to…

"Link's House? So this is where he lives…"

She flew inside slowly, as if she were afraid. Silence greeted her for the first few moments as she hovered, but then a cry escaped someone's lips in the folds of sleep as the boy Link dreamed. Navi sat down on the edge of the bed, looking the poor boy over. He was dressed like all Kokiri, but his ears were more prominent, his aura strange and troubled.

The latter could, of course, be attributed to the nightmare he was most certainly having, but that was irrelevant. Now, how to wake him up?

That was answered for her as the boy sat bolt upright, screaming, tears streaming down his face, blue eyes frightened and vibrant. He didn't see the fairy through the haze of tears so he pressed his face into the blankets and wiped them away, cursing the dream.

"…again. Why me? Why that dream? I keep seeing…huh?" He had by now put the blanket down again and could see clearly again. He saw the fairy – no longer a ball of fluffy light, but a tiny person, clear alabaster-skinned with a single blue top ending in a jagged line at mid thigh, with a set of clear, shining wings and blue curls.

"A fairy…?" Navi nodded. "Yes. The Deku Tree sent me to you. He wants to see you." She looked worried. "Is something wrong?" he asked her, a thin child's finger brushing his chin. She nodded. "I was going to ask you the same. What were you dreaming about, Link?"

"I was dreaming about… wait, how do you know my name? Are you my fairy? The one I've been waiting for?" Navi smiled. She liked this Kokiri. He was so different from the others.

"I guess so." She stood up, her slender feet bare against the wood.

He smiled. It wasn't greedy or triumphant, but joyful. Purely joyful. He was trying to contain it, remembering how fragile fairies could be. "Well what are we waiting for? The Deku Tree wanted to see me right?"

Navi, a ball of light once more, fluttered into the air and into his hat once he put it on. He wasn't short for a boy his age, and his hair was blond like most Kokiri. He ran outside, seeing his best friend run up to his house.

"Hey, Link!"

It was Makar, green haired and bright-eyed, as usual. "Did a fairy finally come to you, Link?" He nodded fervently. "Yeah! Yeah!" "Well come down here so I can talk to you!"

Link, laughing, practically sliding down the ladder to land at Makar's feet.

"Now you're a true Kokiri!" Makar exclaimed. Link nodded, but softly, as if he didn't really believe it. "Yeah, I guess. Isn't that right, ah… what's your name again? I'm sorry…" Navi bounced clumsily. "I never told you. Sorry. It's Navi, by the way." Link nodded. "Navi, then. We have to go see the Great Deku Tree."

Makar's jaw nearly dropped to the ground. "What? Are you serious? The Deku Tree summoned you?" He grinned. "Well, go on! He doesn't like to be kept waiting! I'll wait for you to come back! I'll be right here, I promise!"

Link laughed, running off. Jumping the final stone across the pond, he walked up to Fado, who blocked his way.

"Aw, what gives?"

Fado, shrugged. "Not my rules. You need a sword and shield if you want to pass. I think you can buy a shield at the store, but a sword is going to be difficult to find."

"Where can we find one, do you think?" Link asked, pouting slightly, his posture slouching.

"Try the training grounds. There's bound to be something around there."

Link ran off again as Fado shouted, "And don't come back with a wooden sword, either! I'll know!"

Link walked into the shop, his hands clasped behind his back. "Come to buy something haven't you?" The shopkeeper asked. He looked older than most Kokiri (some doubted he was Kokiri at all and just a short Hylian from outside the forest) but he was kind enough to all and they let it well alone.

Link frowned as he looked at the price of the shield, realizing he hadn't a rupee to his name.

"I don't think so. I need money, but I don't have a wallet, and I don't know where I'd get the money either." He looked guilty. Navi fluttered out of his hat, which she'd been hiding in for a while now. "Rupees are everywhere around the forest! In the grass, behind buildings, in rocks… you just have to look!"

The shopkeeper nodded. "As for the wallet, here. Take this child's wallet. Don't worry, it's free. Come back once you have enough, all right?"

Link thanked the shopkeeper and went off to search for rupees.

"Pfft! I found another one! How many do we have now?" Navi, again in her wavering, tiny human form, was holding up his wallet, counting the rupees. Obviously she was stronger than she looked.

"Only twenty. We need twice that. So… twenty more. I think there's some in Fado's House." Link frowned. "I don't want to steal from him…" Navi shrugged. "We'll put it back later. Just go get 'em!" Link tiptoed up to his house as if an alarm would sound the moment he set foot inside. But one did not, though he still tiptoed inside, wincing as the chests he opened creaked and taking the rupees quickly. He ran out depositing them in his wallet, adding up the numbers.

"Okay, we had twenty plus the one in the grass and the twelve in Fado's House so that's… thirty-three! Only seven more!" Link's face lit up, his brief escapade as a thief forgotten.

It didn't take very long to find the last seven, in fact, he remembered the girl inside the shop telling him there was a 'treasure' in the back, and finally had a total of forty-one rupees after he found another blue one behind Fado's House.

"Here you go!" Link cried with a happy grin, the magic of the rupees having combined themselves into two red rupees, as he slid them to the shopkeeper.

"Oh! So you want the Deku Shield, eh? Whatever for?" he asked as he gave it to him, Link sliding it over his back, fastening his brand new shield holster. "The Great Deku Tree summoned me," he replied without pause, "Fado won't let me in until I have a sword and shield." He shrugged. "It's some sort of rule apparently."

The shopkeeper nodded. "He's right, though. Deku Babas are everywhere in the Tree's pasture. You don't want to get eaten or anything." Link blanched, the image of a Deku Baba chewing on his leg coming into his head.

"Yeah, I see what you mean." The shopkeeper laughed. "Well good luck finding that sword of yours!" Link nodded and left.

"So where do we find a sword, huh, Navi?"

Navi's glowing light floated in front of his eyes for a few moments. "I think Fado said one might be in the training grounds. Let's go look!"

Link scampered toward the grounds, jumping over the fences with ease.

"Hey Linder!" Link waved at the boy practicing flips from the entrance. Linder, about his height with hair of more blond-tinted orange color, stopped flipping long enough to see Link running up to him.

"What's up, Link? Finally got a fairy? Cool. Whatcha here for?"

Link looked clueless for a moment but remembered shortly, the look of recollection brightening his eyes. "The Great Deku Tree summoned me, but Fado won't let me in without a sword and shield. I've got the shield, but… swords are kind a hard to come by, you know?"

"There's only one in the whole place! Right behind me! See that hole there?" He pointed to a small crawlspace in the wall. "You can go through there if you really need it. Be sure to practice here before you start using it!"

Link nodded. "I will. I promise."

As he began crawling, he could hear Linder mutter, "A sword? Yeah… the forest has been acting strange lately…" But Link didn't dwell on the matter.

He came out on the other side just in time to see a boulder come rolling toward him.

"Ahh!" He flinched, preparing to be squashed. But the squashing never came.

"What?" Then he realized that the boulder had turned on its own into a small walkway littered with tall grass.

"Is it magicked?" he asked Navi.

"Yeah, it seems to be. I should've warned you, but I didn't know it was magicked myself until it turned. Sorry." He smiled. "It's okay. You must be a new fairy, huh?" Navi nodded sheepishly. "Fairly. I've only been around a couple years." Link waited until the boulder passed another round and followed it down its path to a big chest sitting on a stump.

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Navi joked.

He shook his head. "Hardly. Just a little scary boulder running in circles." Navi giggled. "Never did I think I'd hear 'little' and boulder' in the same sentence." Link laughed as he walked up to the chest, opening it.

Inside was indeed a kid-sized sword, beautifully crafted with a single jewel embedded in the simple hilt. Link fastened it under his shield, scabbard and all, and drew it, slashing it across the air horizontally, vertically, and upwards with a triumphant, "Ha!" for good measure.

"Have you ever used a sword before?" Navi asked skeptically. "You looked like you had." Link studied it in his left hand, observing it, tossing it back and forth.

"I don't know. It just feels right, is all."

He slashed at the grass near the crawlspace before going back out, picking up the Deku Stick and Nuts they left behind.

"Cool, weapons!" He grinned. "Don't worry, I know how to use 'em." Then he proceeded to crawl back to the training grounds. "So you find the sword, then?" Linder asked Link as he appeared, flakes of dirt stuck in his blond locks. He shook then off, nodding.

"Yeah, I did. I'll go do the training exercises now, cause I promised." Linder nodded, going back to his flipping.

"To spin, hold the sword briefly behind and then swing in a circular motion." He squinted at some writing that appeared to have been written hastily and clumsily under it. "Um… if you knock the sign down, you'll be given a reward. Don't worry; the sign will grow back. Hmm." Link put his hands on his hips, trying to mentally picture what he was about to attempt.

"Seems simple enough." He unsheathed the sword and held it back briefly, spinning around with a great cry of, "Yah!" The sign clattered to the ground, whole, with the exception of the stump that remained, and a blue rupee appeared in his hands.

"Cool."

He moved on to the other sign.

"The jump attack. Simply run and jump, swinging the sword forward." Again he had to squint to read the part about the reward.

He stood back away from the sign, giving himself running room. So he ran, holding the sword behind him, and then he jumped, swinging the sword forward and splitting the sign completely in half straight to the bottom of the stump.

Again, a blue rupee appeared in hands, but he just looked at the sign and then at the sword before heading back to Fado.

"So you've got a real sword, then? All right. I'll let you in."

Navi fluttered out of his hat as they walked, Fado waving goodbye and wishing Link good luck.

There were only a few Deku Babas on the way to the Deku Tree's pasture, so it wasn't too much trouble just to slash at them and pick up whatever item, be it Stick or Nut, that they left in their place before they grew back.

"Great Deku Tree…" Navi whispered, "I'm back!"

The Tree nodded, acknowledging her presence. "Oh, Navi. Thou hast returned. And Link, welcome."

Link looked up with the same awe that Navi was, completely unaware.

"Thy slumber these past moons must have been restless and full of nightmares, correct?" Link nodded silently, remembering. "As the servants of evil gain strength, a vile climate pervades the land and causes nightmares to those sensitive to it. Thou hast always been a sensitive soul."

There was a pregnant pause in the Tree's speaking, one neither boy nor fairy dared break.

"Link…"

He nodded, slowly. Again, he was silent.

"The time has come to test thy courage… I have been cursed, and I need you to break the curse with your wisdom and courage. Dost thus have courage enough to undertake this task?"

Link gasped, as if a spell restricting his breathing had been lifted.

"Yes," he spluttered. And before he could say any more, he stopped, taking in a deep breath. The Great Deku Tree looked down at the boy with mournful eyes, knowing the boy would succeed, and what was to follow after.

"Then enter, brave Link, and thou too, Navi."

His 'mouth' began to open, leaving a large entrance to the inside of the Deku Tree.

"Thou must aid Link. And Link, when Navi speaks, listen well to her words of wisdom."

And the tree fell silent as Link stood in front of the entrance, knobby kneed and trembling with fear. "It'll be all right, Link. I'm here for you." Navi said, her human form fluttering in front of his eyes. He nodded, clutching his shirt.

"I know."

And so he entered the Tree, unaware of what would unfold by doing so.

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><p>I have the strangest urge to draw Navi now... huh. Well, maybe you'll get me to upload one on deviantART if you review? I'd like to know what you think of the concept, or anything else. There are so few Legend of ZeldaStar Wars crossovers... good ones, anyway. I would also prefer that if you favorite the story, please leave a review as well. They make me happy. :)

Thank you!


	2. Inside the Deku Tree

Chapter Two: Inside the Deku Tree

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><p>Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force<p>

Chapter: 2

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: If I owned Zelda or Star Wars, Midna would have kissed Link at the end, and the last forty-five minutes or so of Revenge of the Sith would have gone a whole lot differently.

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

Just would like to note – no actual Star Wars characters will appear until Chapter 10, but they will appear. Although, I have considered giving young Anakin a cameo in Castle Market (this would be around Chapter 3 or 4) but I'm still not sure where this story wants to go, so... yeah. And once Link arrives in Castle Town for the first time, you'll see how much Hyrule has changed. Thank you. :)

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><p>The inside of the Deku Tree was huge. There was clearly a second level about seven or eight feet up, and maybe a third. There was a circular web in the middle of the floor, which Link found barred the way to a level <em>under<em> the ground. And of course there were Deku Baba everywhere.

"Ouch!" Link jumped back, wincing. One of the Deku Baba had scratched the back of his sword arm, and it bled a little.

"It's okay," Navi tittered nervously, "it's just a scratch."

Link nodded. "Yeah. It stings, but I think I can keep going." Navi nodded back, her little human lips stretched in a grin. "Just remember to hold up your shield if you think you can't get in an attack fast enough. It's better to be safe than sorry." Link smiled, and focused on the Deku Baba again, grunting as the Deku Baba thrust itself against the shield, recoiling backwards. Link spun around and cut the plant in half, setting the sword on the ground so he could pry the Deku Nut from the inside of the bulb.

"Ew… that's disgusting." Link shook the purple sticky Deku slime off his hand as he put the Nut in his hat. Navi giggled. "It's not that bad. It could be poisonous." Link and Navi stared at his hand for a moment, and then shuddered.

"On second thought Navi, it's not quite so disgusting anymore…"

Navi smiled sheepishly, and then phased back into a winged ball of light. They walked the perimeter of the first level and, upon deciding the web in the middle of the room could not be broken by any means currently available, Link climbed up the nearby ladder to the next level.

"Say, why are there ladders in here?" Navi, in human form again, sat on Link's right shoulder and stroked her chin in thought. "Well, I told you, I'm still new at this fairy thing, so I don't know everything. I'm assuming that the whole inside of the Deku Tree is made out of the old magic." She grinned, and reached up to touch settle a wayward lock of Link's hair. "Ladders included."

The explanation seemed to satisfy him, so Navi fluttered back into his hat.

Link climbed the ladder and scrambled across the ledges until Navi stopped him by pointing out something on the wall next to him.

"Look at that wall, Link! The vines growing on it should give you a rough enough surface to climb on…" The two of them looked up to examine the rest of the wall. Link frowned.

"Um, Navi? Are those things on the wall… spiders?" Navi giggled nervously. "I think they are…" Having turned into her winged human form, she appeared to be tugging at her blue curls as she fluttered beside his head. "Spiders _eat_ little fairies like me, Link." Link grinned. "Are you afraid, Navi?" She turned to him and gave him a look. "I am _not_ afraid. Just… cautious."

"Right. But could we climb that wall with the spiders still on it?"

Navi shook her head. "I don't think so. But there might be something further ahead that could get rid of them, maybe."

Link glanced at the chest in front of the wall with the spiders on it. Maybe something was in there? Link undid the latch and leaned over the edge of the chest (for it was a very big chest) until he came back out with a map. "Hey, is this a map to the… inside of the Deku Tree? Why…?" He glanced over to Navi, and then sighed, looking back at the map.

"Magic," they said in unison.

So Link shrugged and opened the map. On it, all sorts of rooms and names were listed, which Link could read because Makar had taught him how to read as he grew up in the forest. Then the name of a room that was just up ahead caught his eye. It was labeled, "Slingshot: useful for shooting spiders."

"I think we have our way of getting rid of the spiders, Navi."

She huffed. "Well let's go get it already…" Link laughed, wiping a strand of blond hair out from his eyes. Navi sighed and flew back into his hat.

After pocketing the map (which Navi had explained to him could go into his hat because all Kokiri hats were spelled to hold almost anything) he walked along the path until he came to a wooden door with metal points sticking out of the wood.

"How do I open it?" Navi peeked at the door from under his hat, her little arms crossed on top of the part in Link's hair. "You kind of have to… will it open." He looked in the direction of her voice, even though he couldn't see her. "And how do I do that?" She rested her tiny head on her pale hands, her blue hair falling in front of her eyes. "You have to feel it from inside you. Like where your heart is, I guess. That's where I always feel my magic when I use it. You find that part of yourself and then you look at the door and all you have to do is want the door to open." She sighed. "Sorry I can't be more help to you there, Link. Some fairy I am."

"Don't say that Navi," Link insisted, "You're a great fairy! Or at least I think so." Navi smiled softly and hummed appreciatively. "Thank you, Link."

She disappeared again as he stared at the door, frowning.

All he had to do was want the door to open? That wasn't so hard.

And then it opened. It was a curious feeling, like a tingling in his whole being, coming from where his heart was, making him feel slightly warm with its touch. Was that magic? He didn't have the chance to find out, because as soon as he stepped through, he was almost whacked in the head with something small and hard. He grunted as it thwacked against his hastily raised shield, rolling off the side. Link stared at it for a moment before realizing it was a… Deku Nut?

"Link, look out!" Navi cried, whirling around his head as a fluffy white ball.

Link raised his shield again and something thudded against the wood a second time, but Link didn't pause to look at the Nut that rolled off to the side. Instead he glanced up and over his shield to find the thing responsible.

It was… a little plant thing. With two little glowing red things that seemed to serve as eyes, and mouth of some kind that he was pretty sure shot those Nuts.

"What is it, Navi?" he asked. "It's a Deku Scrub. Harmless, really. Just reflect the Deku Nuts it shoots out at you to knock it off its roots and catch it. But don't get too close or it'll retreat into the ground." Link nodded. He winced, rubbing his left knee, since he'd been too slow in getting his shield down in time to block the Nut it shot at him, and it had grazed his skin, leaving a large red welt that bled a little where the Nut had hit hard.

But he was ready when it shot at him again, and the reflected Nut hit the Scrub square in the nose, knocking it off its roots. He chased it around the room, nearly tackling it into a corner before the creature stopped, cowering in front of him.

"I'm sorry, Master, really sorry!" Link blinked at it. "Okay…?"

The Deku Scrub looked at him with glowing ember eyes. "If you stop hitting me I'll tell you something cool!" Link nodded slowly. "Sure, what is it?" The Scrub brightened. "If you fall from a really tall cliff and you lean forward into a roll when you get to the ground, you won't get hurt! Of course, this doesn't work with really tall cliffs, but you should try it if you're feeling bold!"

Link simply stared at the creature, slightly curious as to how it could speak at all. "Well uh, is that it?" It nodded furiously. "Yes, yes! Here's a present for you too, Master!" The thing shot something down at the ground and then proceeded to burrow deep into the soil. The object the Deku Scrub had left was a Deku Nut, which made Link smile. "Well, at least it was a polite little Scrub," Navi muttered, looking the Nut over as Link pocketed it.

"I didn't even know they could speak…" Link said to himself as he walked to the door across from the one he'd entered. "Course they can," Navi replied, fluttering her little crystal wings and gesturing with her hands as she spoke. "Some will even sell stuff to you. But most of the ones that do that are…"

"Outside the forest." Link finished for her. "Yeah." Somehow, Link could guess that he might get to see the outside sooner than he thought.

He opened the door to the next room without a thought, and stepped through. Link looked around, walking to the edge of the ledge that led into only about a third of the room. There was a large gap, and a chest on the other side that probably had the Slingshot in it. In the middle of the gap was a giant floating block.

"Hey Navi? Could I get across by jumping on that, um… floating block?"

Navi floated from his hat and studied it in her human form. "I think so. But it can only hold your weight for so long so you might want to think about moving over to the other side as quickly as possible." Link looked at the block, then at Navi. He sighed, shrugging. "Well, here goes."

"Wait, Link…?"

But Link was already across the gap, the block collapsing on the ground in a heap of crumbling stone. He winced as it fell, but he couldn't do anything about it now, so he unlatched the chest and pulled out the Slingshot and it's Deku Seed pouch. He nodded as looked for something to try it out on. There was something stuck in the cobwebs on the ceiling, and it couldn't hurt to bring it down, he thought. So he loaded a Seed, aimed, and fired, the Seed connecting with the web and loosing something dark and heavy with a loud THUMP! He glanced over the edge, and smiled at what he saw.

It was a ladder, lying on the ground below. He jumped down, grinning widely. "Wasn't it lucky that ladder was stuck up there?" Navi frowned, glancing at the webs as Link leaned the ladder against the side of the gap and climbed up to the door. "I wonder how it got there in the first place…"

But Link hadn't heard. So Navi shrugged her tiny fairy shoulders and followed him back to the spider wall, watching as Link shot them down one by one, and she smiled. She disappeared into his hat as he climbed the wall and followed the path around on the floor above, making sure to stay well away from the giant spiders that hung from the ceiling.

He found the only room on that floor to be one that locked him in once he was inside. Navi informed him that the only way to remove the bars on the door was to light the unlit torch on his left. Link sighed. "Would have been nice to know that before I entered the room…" Navi shrugged. "I don't know everything, I'm afraid." Link shook his head. "It's all right, Navi."

He glanced over the room and saw a spider hanging from the ceiling on the left side, guarding it. He didn't think anything was there, but it couldn't hurt to check it out. There was also a large chest on the other side of the gap, which could be accessed by jumping across the platforms in the floor that he could raise by pressing the golden button on the floor. There was only a small chest that didn't appear to hold anything… until he noticed the magic.

"That was healing magic, wasn't it?" The cuts on his arms and legs were healed, and his energy seemed renewed a bit. "Seems to be," Navi said, and then she froze. She squeaked a little, and hurriedly flew behind Link's neck, hiding under the hair that poked from underneath the rim of his hat. "K-Kill it, Link!" Link frowned, and then laughed when he saw the spider. It looked different from the others, but that didn't seem to matter with Navi.

"Okay, okay. I'll kill it. Hold your Deku Nuts." He slashed it twice with his sword, and the thing fell to the ground, dead. It quickly disintegrated like most spiders did, but it left something strange behind. It was a small gold coin in the shape of a skull. "Hmm. What's this?" Navi wasn't sure, but it didn't seem dangerous, so Link pocketed the thing anyway so he could proceed.

He made it across a second time for the larger chest, which contained a compass, and he killed the Deku Baba near the chest for a Deku Stick, so he could light the torch and open the door on the other side, which he did.

When he stepped back outside to the cobweb circle of spiders (with Navi safe inside his hat) he picked one to stand next to and he waited patiently for it to twitch until it displayed its soft underbelly for him to shoot. Once it fell and turned to ash, he tiptoed across the wooden plank the led out to the middle of the room above the web he'd seen when he'd entered the Deku Tree.

"Maybe I could break it from this height? What do you think Navi?"

Navi nodded, brushing a blue curl out of her face and placing it behind her right ear. "I think it would work. The web would slow down your fall, too, so you shouldn't have to worry about getting hurt on the way down or anything." Link nodded. "Okay, you ready for this?" She grinned and nodded, disappearing again.

So he got a bit of a running start and leapt off the plank, falling straight through the sticky web down onto a little patch of land just underneath the water below.

"Ah, Navi!" Link cried, rubbing the parts of his tunic that were soaked through with water spray, "You didn't tell me there was water down here!"

Navi giggled, floating above the deeper water just out of Link's reach. "I thought you would have looked. Besides, it wasn't like you could have avoided it anyway. Some of this water feeds the roots of the Deku Tree; it's an essential part of the intricate system that brings food to the Tree." Link rolled his eyes as he scrambled up on a nearby ledge. While Navi droned on about how the water was important to the Tree and some such, he spotted two spiders that were in the area and shot both of them down before Navi could see them and freak out. Both spiders deposited a similar golden trinket like the one before, but since they didn't seem to be spelled, he decided to keep them.

You never knew whether you might need something or not.

There was a ledge across the way to his left with a Deku Baba lying dormant in its soil. Behind the Deku Baba was something else that Link couldn't see from where he stood.

"Navi," he said slowly, still staring at the thing, "is that a door?"

"…and so that's why the water is important to… most living… things, what?"

Link sighed and repeated the question, gesturing to the dark shape covered in more sticky white mess across the other side of the room. "Oh, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to ramble, Link. Really, I didn't mean, well…um. That thing over there?" She flew over the water, avoiding the Deku Baba that snapped at her as she flew past. Peering through the webs covering it, she nodded sharply and looked back at Link.

"It's a door all right. But you might want to light a Deku Stick so you can burn this stuff off of it. You won't be able to get in if you don't." Link lit a stick that he pulled from his hat as he asked her, "Can I jump across from the bit of land below the water?" Navi looked it over. "Yeah, sure you can. I'd just get a bit of a running start first."

He jumped across and avoided the Deku Baba as well, burning off the webbing. "I can't believe you're afraid of spiders, but not _those_ things. They could eat a little fairy like you just as easily, I would think."

Navi shrugging, her little wings blurring as she fluttered.

"Well maybe it's because _they_ can eat little fairies like me in _one piece_. Spiders can't. They eat you piece by piece. And they're just creepy. I mean, really. Have you even watched them, well…" Link raised an eyebrow. "Well what?" She waved him away with a hand. "Nothing. Just… go on."

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, sure. But when you want to talk, I'm right here."

"That's nice to know."

There was another Deku Scrub in the next room, but it was hardly much more of a challenge than the first one. This one, when caught, cowered before him in much the same way as the first one, but it was much less polite.

"Please forgive me, _master_… I'll _never_ do it again…" Navi huffed slightly from Link's shoulder, staring down at the creature. "Snarky little thing, isn't it?" Link glanced in her direction but returned quickly to the Scrub, which sat glowering at him in the strange lighting of the room. "If you spare me, I'll tell you something." Link nodded. "Okay. Tell me."

The thing scoffed at the ground. "Well, you'll never beat my brothers up ahead unless you punish them in the right order…" Link simply blinked down at the Scrub, waiting patiently. "And?" "_And_ the order is 2, 3, 1! Twenty-three is number one is how I remember it, now can I _go_ already?" Link sighed, closing his eyes as his brows knit together in frustration. "Fine, fine. You may go."

So the Scrub left without leaving anything except a bad taste in Link's mouth.

"That one got up on the wrong side of the root this morning," Navi muttered.

Link just shook his head. "It just didn't like loosing, I guess. Some things are like that. Kind of like when Olivio loses to Oakin when they skip Deku Seeds on the pond in the forest." He smiled a bit, remembering their last game. "Except they're much funnier than that stupid Deku Scrub." He laughed to himself as he opened the door to proceed.

The next room had another gap, but this one was filled with water, and had a nasty looking bar rolling across the gap.

"So how do I get across?" He could see the platform that crossed back and forth between the ledges, but it was too close to the pointy bar to be anything comfortable on the way over. Navi pointed out a switch underneath the water that she said would lower the water level enough for Link to pass underneath the bar on the platform.

After a few tries he did manage to succeed, and once he was finally on the other side, he slew the large spider in front of the door and moved the stone block over the ashes of its corpse, proceeding to climb the block and go through to the next room.

The door immediately locked behind him, however the only things that seemed immediately threatening were the two Deku Baba in the room. He sat down against the only lit torch in the room to catch his breath and look over his new set of assorted scrapes and scratches. "How much farther do we have, you think, until we find what's cursing the Great Deku Tree?" Navi sat on the ground next to him, wishing she were one of the healing fairies that sometimes wandered into places like this.

"Not too much farther." _I hope_, Navi thought silently.

After a while, Link pushed himself up and Navi floated back into the safety of his hat as he lit the torches, opening the next door.

Which of course led to another hallway with one of the giant spiders right at threshold of the huge room beyond it. After recovering his wits (and admitting to himself that the bigger spiders did disturb him a little bit – which he would never admit aloud to Navi or at the very least in her presence) he slew the spider and glanced up at the ceiling, where three little brown things were nestled.

"Uh, Navi? What are those?" Navi frowned. "I don't actually know. I suppose you could shoot them if your aim was good enough." They both stared at the slingshot in Link's hands, then at the brown things, and again at the slingshot. Link glanced up at the two webbed hallways and decided that he might be able to run fast enough to see which one contained the door.

He knew he would admit to secretly thinking himself pretty good with his new slingshot, but he didn't really want to bet on his aim to save his life if it came down to it. At least not until he'd practiced with it a little more.

So he fished for a Deku Stick from his hat, ran like crazy, and then entered the crawlspace he'd found behind the second webbed hallway.

And found himself in a familiar room.

"Isn't this the room we fell into from the third level of the Tree?" Link asked. Navi looked around and nodded. "Seems to be. We're just on a higher level now." She pointed out a circle webbed over with more sticky white stuff. "And I think that is how we proceed." Link looked around, but all the torches on their level were out of Link's reach, even if he used the end of the stick to light a flame.

"There's that one on the other side of the room," Navi pointed out, the hair she'd pushed behind her ear falling back over it again. Link looked around, and then he smiled. "I could push that block to make a kind of bridge so I could get back up to this level, right?" Navi shrugged. "I'll be waiting."

Link pushed the block into the water and smiled to himself as it landed with a satisfying splash in the water below. He jumped across, lit a stick, and jumped back, walking over to light the webbing.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Navi asked him brightly. Link frowned, feeling a sudden cautiousness creep into him. "Yeah… but I think we're getting close to whatever's hurting the Tree." Navi glanced at him and frowned too, his abrupt seriousness worrying her a little. She tilted her head as he met her eyes, silently asking him a question. He shook his head and suppressed a sigh, letting Navi back under his hat before climbing the vines down into the hole.

It ended in a small pool that restored Link's energy and healed his cuts – more healing magic, he guessed – and from that particular vantage point he could see three Deku Scrubs shuffling among their roots.

"I'm assuming those are the three brothers of that Deku Scrub from earlier… what was the order again?"

"Two, three, one. I think three is on the right side, so aim from that one second." Link nodded. "Right. Will you target them for me?" She flew over to the middle one as he got closer, shifting into a ball of white light that began to glow green like a beacon. He chucked. "Thanks Navi." She gave a little jingle that he took for a, "You're welcome."

He grunted as the first Nut hit his shield, but he didn't pause to recoil because the one to his right had just shot another Nut at him, and he caught it before it collided with his shoulder. He turned back around to the last one, but had to dodge the Nut it threw at him: he didn't have enough time to raise his shield.

But he made up for it by cornering the creature by the door, cowering beneath his shadow.

"How did you know our secret? This is so embarrassing… why do I have to reveal Queen Gohma's secret to one of you? Oh, no…" Link shook his head. "This, what was it…? This Queen Gohma is hurting the Great Deku Tree. Whatever the secret is, I have to know. I was sent to take care of this, though I don't know why, really."

The leaves above the Scrub's glowing eyes lowered, and it appeared to be frowning. "Well, I have to tell you anyway… you beat me. In order to administer the coup de grace to Queen Gohma, strike with your sword _when she's stunned_." The Scrub sighed. "Oh, Queenie… sorry about this…"

And then he ran off, Link staring after the Scrub and his brothers as they left.

"Well that was…" "…interesting." Navi finished.

The two looked at the door that had been opened for them. "You ready, Link?" Link reset his tunic so that he was comfortable, drew his sword and checked it, and then sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be."

He couldn't seem to ignore the hard _thump-thump_ of his heart against his chest, or the nerves that crackled all over his body.

But he summoned up something from deep inside and opened the door.

He walked slowly into the room, which was very large, very dark, and had far too much fog on the floor for his liking. "Navi?" he asked quietly, "You okay?" Navi didn't reply for a while, until after a huge, earthen door shut behind them, barring their way back into the rest of the Deku Tree.

"I'm fine… sort of. You?" Silence. Then a sort of… rustling.

Link frowned. Was something moving on the floor? No, the sound was higher than that, he thought. He glanced around at the walls, and didn't see anything there either. Then the sound came again, and he heard it. His breath caught and his heart felt like it would burst from him and burrow into the earth. He forced himself to look higher and higher and then… he stilled. Icy terror flooded him as his eyes met something huge, round, red, and… glowing.

He wanted to scream, but he found that his voice had abandoned him.

Navi managed a scream, though.

"AHH! Link get out of the way! She's coming down!" That seemed to return the feeling in Link's legs and he managed to scramble away before the ground shook, tripping him and sending him flying into the dirt. He scrambled to get up and turn around to see what he was facing and, for a split second, seemed to regret it.

Before him stood this huge… no, that wasn't the right word… _gigantic_ spider with only one eye and a very, very large scorpion-like stinger. Its eight hairy legs were sharp and dug into the earth and roots with savage bestial fury.

For a moment he thought he was going to die.

But then he remembered that the Great Deku Tree had sent him here, and the Great Deku Tree had known this was what he would face. He wouldn't have sent Link to his death. With that thought, he gathered up the small swelling of power that lay inside him where his heart was now beating furiously in determination – not fear – and he called out to Navi, who he could feel was inside his hat, trembling.

"Navi! I know you're afraid but I really, really need you to do something for me!" Navi crept from his hat and flew around so he could see her. She was still afraid, but the power that laced his words had given her something that Link couldn't even begin to name. He spoke quickly, because he was already backing up closer and closer to the wall and Gohma was advancing on him.

"Navi, I need you to target Queen Gohma's eye, please. Please Navi, I need to make sure that my aim is true when I hit her, please!" Navi looked deep into Link's eyes and remembered that she was his fairy. _His_ fairy. And it was her obligation to protect him however she could.

She nodded to him slightly, and touched his forehead with a tiny hand as he backed against the wall, his shoulders thudding softly against the soil.

_I will, Link._

She flew away then, hovering around the giant eye, glowing green and jingling with a fervor that Link could almost crack a smile at. If they lived through this, he'd have to thank her: for everything. But there wasn't much time. Link dug through his hat and found his Deku Nuts leaping to his hands.

He slapped one down on the ground, and Queen Gohma screeched in pain.

'_Strike with your sword when she's stunned.'_

He didn't hesitate to comply with the Deku Scrubs instructions, and slashed as hard and as fast as he possibly could. She screeched louder, and louder, but he didn't stop, didn't hesitate. He couldn't.

It was only when Queen Gohma pulled away in agony, bubbles spewing from her eye that Link stopped swinging the sword, and he stumbled back to watch as she writhed, finally crumpling to the ground and disintegrating through a strange blue fire. A grim thrill raced through Link as he watched the Queen die, but he shuddered away from it. He was glad that he was alive and that the thing that had cursed the Tree was dead.

As the blue fire diminished into almost nothing, Link felt a wave of magic similar to the healing magic come over him, strengthening him. It felt good, much better than that black thrill that had laced his thoughts as he'd watched the creature die, and he let the feeling burn the memory away.

"Link?"

Link opened his eyes, not realizing he'd closed them. It took a moment for him to respond, his eyes finally resting on the speaker. He smiled.

"Hey Navi. Are you… are you okay?"

She cracked a small smile in return. "Yeah, I'm okay. I… wanted to thank you for helping me out back there." Link laughed. "_You_ wanted to thank me? _I_ wanted to thank _you_!" He shook his head, chuckling, and then met her eyes again, sobering. "I can't imagine how hard that was for you… to be that close to her." She nodded sheepishly, tugging at the hem of her blue skirt.

"It was a bit terrifying, yes, but… I get this feeling that I'll have to keep doing stuff like that for… for awhile."

Link frowned. Somehow her words seemed right. And that made him wonder.

"Hey, we should get back…" Navi looked up.

"How?" Link pointed to a little circle not too far from where they stood that glowed with a soft blue light. "That, maybe?" Navi smiled. "Sure, why not?" And the two of them stepped into the light, back to the Great Deku Tree.

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><p>Just a reminder: if anyone has favorited andor put this story on their alerts, please leave me a review, they make me happy. And they might make me write faster. :)

Thank you!


	3. On to Castle Town!

Chapter Three: On to Castle Town!

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><p>Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force<p>

Chapter: 3

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Adventure/Fantasy

Disclaimer: If I owned Zelda or Star Wars, would I even been saying the word "if" in my disclaimer?

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

So, I have idea. I'm… not going to write it down here because it relates to the plot, but I have decided to insert a scene or two with the young Anakin and the Obi-Wan from the end of Episode 1, after Qui-Gon has died, but obviously Anakin is now Obi-Wan's padawan. If I ever actually get to Castle Town in this chapter (which I'm hoping to, but the story may not necessarily get there when I want it to) that's the kind of info you'll need to keep in mind if Link has any kind of interaction with them.

Well, on with the fic.

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><p>"Well done, Link…"<p>

Link stumbled a little to regain his balance after suddenly finding himself standing, once again, before the Great Deku Tree only moments after his battle with Queen Gohma. He and Navi shared a look, smiling at each other before turning back to the Deku Tree.

"Thou hast verily demonstrated thy courage… I knew that thou wouldst be able to carry out my wishes. Now, I have more to tell ye, wouldst thou listen."

"Of course, Great Deku Tree, we'll listen!" Navi replied, for Link was unable to find his voice in the Tree's presence.

"Now," began the Tree slowly, "listen carefully. A wicked man of the desert cast this curse upon me. This evil man ceaselessly uses his vile, sorcerous powers in his search for the Sacred Realm that is connected to Hyrule, for it is in that Sacred Realm that one will find the divine relic which contains the essence of the gods."

Link looked at Navi again and tilted his head in a silent question. She nodded quickly, and Link knelt to sit down on the grass, adjusting his legs before him, with Navi sitting on his shoulder.

The Tree, oblivious and aware of the exchange, simply continued speaking.

"Before time began, before spirits and life existed, three golden goddesses descended upon the chaos that was Hyrule. They were Din, the goddess of power, Nayru, the goddess of wisdom, and Farore, the goddess of courage. Din, with her strong flaming arms, cultivated the land and gave it shape. Nayru poured her wisdom onto the earth and gave the spirit of law to the world. Farore, with her rich soul, ushered a path upon which came all life forms that would uphold the law.

"And then, with their work completed, the three great goddesses left the remainder of their power to nourish the world they had helped create. This power, symbolized by the three sacred triangles, became the basis of our world's providence. And, the resting place of the triangles has become what we now call the Sacred Realm."

Link nodded periodically as the Great Tree spoke, imagining the unimaginable scenario in his head, suddenly struck with hundreds of thousands of thoughts and questions that even he wasn't sure even the Great Deku Tree might be able to answer.

"Never forget this, Link, or you, Navi, my sweet fairy child; don't forget that even though this is but one world on one planet in a universe that spans countless distances, thou must never allow the desert man in black armor to lay his hands on the power the goddesses left to the land and its people. Thou must never suffer that man, with his evil heart, to enter the Sacred Realm of legend, for that evil man who cast the death curse upon me and sapped my power is after much more than this singular planet. He is the kind of man who will not stop to conquer just one realm, but the realms beyond this one, and perhaps any realms beyond those realms."

And then the Great Deku Tree gave a long, slow sigh.

"My children, I must also tell you that because of that curse, my end is nigh."

Navi gasped, a little, quiet sob, from her perch on Link's shoulder. Link himself was abruptly ripped from the sanctum of his inner thoughts back to the present, a present where he suddenly found not only the control to command his legs to move and carry him to the very front of the Great Deku Tree, but one where he also found the voice he'd been missing since he first entered the Deku Tree's presence.

"But, Great Deku Tree," Link protested, "we defeated your curse! You can't be… you can't be dying…" The Tree hummed a low, rolling rumble, and let the wind rustle a comforting tune through his withering leaves.

"Little one, trust me when I say that I appreciate your sentiments. However, though your valiant efforts to break my curse were successful, I was doomed before you started. Yes, I will pass away soon, but do not grieve for me." Link stumbled closer to the Tree, pressing a small child's hand to the gritty bark of the Great Tree's trunk, and then falling against it with his left side pressed against the Tree, and his knees tucked underneath him, tears softly rolling down his face.

Navi fluttered, brokenhearted, to land on Link's right knee, furiously rubbing away tears of her own.

But the Great Tree did not have much time left to say what needed saying.

"I have been able to tell you of these important matters, and that you are Hyrule's final hope. Link, go to Hyrule Castle, beyond the forest. There, thou will meet the Princess of Destiny. Please, for my last request, I must see your face. Come, child. Stand before me."

Link shuddered, a dry sob wracking his lungs to pieces. He wanted to stay there, lying against the Tree's warm bark, except that the Great Deku Tree was asking something of him, and he sensed that despite his sorrow it needed doing and it needed doing quickly.

So he scrambled away, Navi flying after him. Link planted himself in the spot he'd been in before, and stared up at the Tree with wide, tear-filled eyes.

"There, child. There. Please, as my last request, take this stone with you. This is the stone that the man wanted so much that he cast this curse upon me…"

Instantly, a bright green and white light burst into the clearing, only dissipating after a flare of the last of the Deku Tree's power washed over Link and Navi, leaving them breathless. What remained in its place, floating just in front of the spot where Link stood, twirled a brilliant green emerald, encased in a swirl of diamond and gold. Link had heard of this thing before, from Makar, when Makar had told him stories about the forest when he'd been smaller.

It was the Kokiri's Emerald, the lifeblood of the forest.

And the Great Deku Tree, the _dying_ Great Deku Tree, was _giving_ it… to him.

He took it in his hands, the gem burning with a warmth that was comforting, and loving, and healing. Tears welled anew in Link's eyes as he held the precious thing in his hands, against his chest, his eyes locked onto the Great Deku Tree as it began to speak its last words to them.

"The future depends on thee, Link… thou art courageous… and Navi, my little fairy… help Link carry out my will…"

The rustling above in the Deku Tree's leaves stopped then, silence spreading.

"I entreat ye… Navi… good… bye…"

Then the Great Tree blew out his final breath, the leaves above darkening and falling as they could no longer cling to the branches that had formerly given them sustenance, and the bark of the Tree itself grew cold and gray. Link and Navi stood there in complete, utter silence, until something shuffled in the leaves behind them.

Link whipped around, and Navi with him.

It was Fado.

Link met Fado's eyes for a moment, the tears falling down his little child's cheeks, but he could not hold them, for all Link could do at that moment was kneel down on the ground and cry, still holding the emerald to his chest. Fado walked over and knelt beside him, placing a hand on Link's back and letting loose a long sigh.

"It's okay, you know," Fado said after a little while, "it wasn't your fault. I heard most of it from behind the entrance." Link's sobs began to slow, and eventually, with a little help from Fado, he managed to stand. Navi and Mila floated around them, jingling softly in their private fairy language, Mila probably comforting Navi in the same way Fado was comforting Link. Link wiped the remaining tears from his face, and he sighed too. Finally finding his voice, he turned to Fado.

"The others… can't know of this just yet. You know that, right? Fado?"

Fado nodded solemnly. "Yes, you're right. But they will notice a change in the forest eventually… even so, I will still stand as guard of this pasture for as long as possible. Maybe a Deku Sprout will come and take the Great Tree's place, but… that will take time, too. Speaking of which, do you still intend to leave the forest? I don't claim to understand all that the Tree told you, but I know that it was important."

Link nodded. "I do. I should leave now, I suppose. I don't need much else than what I have with me." Fado nodded again. "All right. Come on, before the others start to talk about me being gone from my guard so long." He flashed Link a small smile. "And try to smile a little, if you can. We can't let anything on to them, not until they're ready to know."

Link left Fado at his guard post when they exited the long passageway between the clearings. Navi flew steadily beside him as he walked across the stepping-stones and towards the path to the bridge. Strangely, the usual Kokiri standing guard was not there when he arrived, so he took it as a sign. Entering the little grove that encompassed the bridge leading outside, Link felt strangely calm. He frowned, sensing someone standing behind him after he'd stepped only a few paces past the bridge's halfway mark. He turned, and he blinked in surprise. It was Makar.

"So… you're leaving…" Makar said quietly, his usually cheerful face now serious and somber.

Link padded up to his friend, his boots clicking softly on the smooth wood.

"I always knew that…" here Makar paused speaking to take a slow breath, "I knew that you would leave the forest someday… Link…" Link stared at Makar, blinking owlishly. "But how could you? I mean…" Link trailed off, not sure where to go from there. Makar simply smiled serenely.

"It's because you're different from me and my friends… but that's okay."

Link frowned, but chose to stay silent.

"It's okay because… because we'll be friends forever, right Link?" Makar said softly, looking up to meet Link's blue eyes. The sheer gentleness that lay in Makar's eyes made Link smile ever so slightly, and he nodded, no matter that it was a slightly silly statement to agree to. But Makar smiled a little brighter, and gestured for his fairy, Vera, to bring something to him. Vera floated over to Makar from behind a bush further in the green. She was carrying something, but Link couldn't see what it was until Makar had it in his hands and was holding it out to Link.

It was a little peach colored ocarina that Makar had made himself from the small store of clay he kept in his house. It was one of the very few things that meant the world to Makar. Link shook his head automatically, a refusal leaping to his lips, but Makar stopped him by speaking first.

"No, please. I want you to have this Ocarina… please take good care of it."

Finally, realizing that Makar wouldn't take no for an answer, Link took the Ocarina in his hands. It wasn't quite like when the Great Deku Tree had given him the Kokiri Emerald (which was, by the way, now burning softly from somewhere in his hat) but the significance was not lost on Link. He sighed, not yet pocketing the Ocarina.

"When you play my Ocarina," Makar continued gently, "I hope you will think of me and come back to the forest to visit."

And with that Makar finished, and suddenly Link could no longer fight his strange urge to run away. He bowed slightly to Makar, whispering a quick, quiet farewell, and he backed away, finally turning and bolting into a run out of the forest.

Link stopped once he'd crossed the threshold that marked the end of the Kokiri Forest, and the beginning of the fields. He'd stopped for many reasons, the sun was far too bright without any leaves to filter its rays, the plains were so very _wide_ and he could even see other towns and villages in the distance, but the main thing that made him pause his dash from Makar's presence was the rather large, looming owl that perched on the branch of a nearby leafless tree.

"You don't think it's going to… eat us, do you Navi?" he asked her quietly.

If Link had been surprised to see the owl waiting for him when he exited the forest, he was blown of his feet (literally) when he heard the creature hoot loudly in hysterical laughter and look down upon him with beady, mirthful eyes, all the while flapping its huge wings to maintain its balance.

"Hoo hoo! Oh, of course I'm not here to eat you! Hoo! Why I'm only here to greet you, and to congratulate you! For it appears that the time has finally come for you to start your adventure! True, you will encounter many hardships ahead, but that is your fate!" Link and Navi exchanged puzzled and anxious glances before looking back up at the owl.

"But don't feel discouraged, even during the toughest times! You will have guides along the way to help you… here, I'll even help you out right now! See, if you follow this path straight north, and you'll see Hyrule Castle Town! Beyond there lies the Castle. You will meet the Princess there."

"We know that already," muttered Navi, who Link thought appeared to be the slightest bit annoyed. "Perhaps you could give us something that might keep us from getting lost?"

Link's mind gave a mental shrug. He didn't mind the owl much. While it did tend to drone on about things, it was pleasant that – at the very least – the thing didn't want to attack and/or eat him on the spot. Navi, it seemed, did not share opinion of the owl. Then again, she _was_ a fairy, and what did he know about what fairies liked or disliked?

"Well sure!" replied the owl, "Take this map!"

The owl lifted one of its great big claws and flicked something at them. Link picked it up as he moved to stand, and found that it was a map of Hyrule Field. Towns and villages were labeled on the map, including Castle Town, which didn't appear to be too far from the entrance to the forest.

"All right then, I'll see you around!" the owl hooted loudly, and flapped its huge wings twice to set its large, feathery body aloft, and then flew off into the distant sunrise.

Link and Navi stared after the owl for a moment before looking back at each other. "Say, how far is Castle Town from here?" Navi finally asked.

They glanced at the map key on the bottom where it gave them measurements of actual distances. Link frowned. "It looks to be about 10 miles… or roughly 25 kilometers." He walked forwards a bit from the entrance and was a little disappointed to find a small forest of widely spaced trees surrounding him. He could still see the fields beyond, but only two of the villages on the map was potentially visible on the horizon. "How long would it take to get there, you think?"

Navi shrugged. "Two and a half hours maybe; if you could keep up a brisk pace most of the time." Link nodded, and looked up at the sun, still a ways away from its highest point. "So… early or mid afternoon if we're lucky?" Navi grumbled and folded her arms. "Or late afternoon or night if we're not. I think the town gates close at sundown, so we need to get there before then or we'll be sitting ducks for the Stalkids all night."

They both stilled, realizing the implications of what Navi had said. Even Kokiri knew what happened to people who didn't have a place of shelter at night on the plains… Stalchildren. Most people called them Stalkids for short, but it didn't really matter what they were called when they were chasing you, trying to catch you so they could gnaw on your bones…

So Link quickly folded the map and put it into a pocket on his belt instead so he could have faster access to it and they set off down the northernmost path.

As they walked, Link and Navi quietly talked to each other about all that had happened that day, trying to sort it out in their heads, for the most part. The day was pleasant, even after Link and Navi had passed from the cool comfort of the scattered trees that grew around the denser forest and out onto the real plains of Hyrule Field, so it was easy to keep up a quick pace along the paved dirt road. They were walking along a fenced in crop of wheat just as they finished talking about Makar and the Ocarina he'd given Link when they heard a sound coming up the road from behind them.

Link stopped, glancing backwards to see if he could see the traveler coming up the road. Maybe they could flag them down for a ride or something, he thought. Navi fluttered back into his hat so if anyone did happen to be passing by, they didn't mark him as a strange little kid talking to a floating ball of light. Magicians might know what she was, but there was the off chance that it wasn't a magician, so she decided better to be safe than sorry.

It began as a low humming in the ground, accompanied by a dust cloud stirring at the edge of road. After a moment, Link could see something approaching them at a very fast rate from the innards of the cloud, something small and black, with a person riding astride it.

The person riding the little black contraption just so happened to be a fisherman heading into market on his little black carrier speeder. His catch was stuffed into a tank that was boxed up with hastily nailed wooden planks, and strapped onto the carrier platform of his speeder. However these were very fresh fish, and the man did not have time to stop for the child standing on the side of the road.

"Get outta the way, kid!" he called out when he sighted Link.

Link was mesmerized and slightly dumbstruck with the sight of the thing speeding towards him, but even with the fisherman's warning, he did not have time to move out of the way completely. The speedy fisherman blasted past him, knocking Link off his feet and into the fence behind him.

"Link! Are you okay?" Navi asked as soon as she could sense the fisherman had gone far enough away. Link, not entirely conscious, mumbled something incoherently under his breath. "What, Link? Link?"

Then Navi heard someone else coming down the closer forked off path to the west not far behind where they were. Spotting someone riding a horse in their direction, she hid in Link's hat again, hoping for the best. Link was just regaining full control of his mental faculties when the horse and its rider came up beside him.

"Boy, are you all right?" Link blinked into the light, squinting up at the man.

The rider atop the blue roan horse was male, and looked to be around his early thirties with straight black hair cut around his long Hylian ears and a little brushing the sides of his gray eyes. He appeared to be wearing some sort of orange robe cut sharply around his hands, and a long leather jerkin type garment over that. Strips of leather bound the cloth around his hands, and a little golden symbol of three triangles inside a single triangle was emblazoned on the very center of his leather jerkin.

But of course Link could only take in bits and pieces of the ensemble the man was wearing, for his eyes focused on the man's face as he stood, using the fence to prop himself up.

"I'm fine, just a little shaken, sir. I couldn't completely get out of the way even if I'd actually tried…" The man chuckled darkly. "People are always like that on market days…" He sighed, his soft gray eyes pinching in slight frustration. Then they opened again to get a good look at the child. They took in his clothing and his age and he cleared his throat to ask the boy a question.

"Say, where're you headed boy? If you weren't headed for the village down the road, that is."

"Castle Town, sir. I was sent there to look for someone." Link replied, carefully choosing his words. He figured the man might not take him seriously if he mentioned he'd been sent by a tree to find a princess.

The man nodded, then looked up at the sky. "Say, you wouldn't mind a lift there? It's still easily an hour's walk from here and you're liable to get hit by more and more speeders as you get closer. It's market day after all, and there are quite a few of them that go in and out right up until the gate closes. So how about it, child?"

Link looked the man over now, really looked at him. He couldn't sense anything bad about the man, but his preference over walking to town wavered on the edge of refusal until his eye caught the symbol on his jerkin. Suddenly, Link felt he could trust the man because of that symbol. So he nodded and the man helped him up onto the horse, placing him in the saddle before him.

"Hold on now, so you don't fall off!"

The man kicked the sides of the horse gently and they were off, traveling at a gentle gallop down the dirt road. Link felt he liked the sensation of muscles bunching and releasing underneath his own, and the wind that raced through his hair that wasn't bound underneath his hat. It felt good. Natural. And right.

It was just past high noon when they reached the town, and the man slowly coaxed the horse to a stop after they passed the gate. "Would you like to get off here?" Link nodded and said he would. The man helped him down and remounted, Link thanking him and the man only smiling and receiving his thanks with a small, "It was nothing."

The man did pause a moment before spurring the horse on once more, but only for a moment, a look of purpose replacing the relaxed tranquility that had occupied his features. Then he was gone, disappearing into the crowd.

Link searched the town for a quiet corner to talk with Navi in. When he did (which happened to be in an alley occupied by a single yard with one door in the side of the wall, and several cats playing a game with a little ball on the grass), Navi floated around his head, shaking her own as she ran her fingers through her hair. "Well, that was lucky wasn't it? Finding that man?" Link frowned, leaning against the wall. "I think _he_ found _us_, don't you?"

Navi thought for a moment. "His aura was kind of strange… like a magician's, but not quite. He could probably tell what I was, though. Still, it wasn't really the practical thing to do anyway, once he'd asked you to join him on the horse. Either way, we're here aren't we?" Link nodded.

"But the castle's bound to be guarded during the day, and even at night, too."

"So we think up a plan!" Link scoffed and raised an incredulous eyebrow at his companion. "Really? And what plan would that be?" Navi was about to say something but stopped herself, evidently struck with the thought that the plan would not work. She frowned. "Well… I don't know…"

They stayed like that for a little while until Link's wandering thoughts picked up on something coming up the street that crossed with the alley and led into the main plaza. His eyes were drawn to a young man in his late twenties, maybe early thirties (but Link guessed it was the former), and a boy about his age. They weren't from town either, like him, but from the looks of them they weren't even from the planet, either. Their ears weren't pointed, for one.

"Hey Navi," he asked as soon as they'd crossed the alley and into the plaza square, "why don't we sit somewhere in the plaza? Maybe something out there might give us an idea." Navi sighed and nodded. "Maybe you're right. I'll have to go back into your hat again so some merchant doesn't mistake me for an escaped healing fairy or something." Link laughed at that. "All right. I'll wait until after the gate closes, then I'll come back here to see if either of us has anything." Navi nodded again, this time in agreement and disappeared.

Link pushed away from the wall and went out into the main square.

It was a grand place, most of the residential areas made of marble and stone, with bits of foliage and various plants hanging from windowsills or stairwells leading up to higher levels. The main roads leading south (from and to the gate Link and the man had entered earlier), east, and west were clean and paved, even the dirt roads in the alleys such as the one Link had just come from were smooth and well kept.

There were many vendors out today (for apparently this was market day, according to what the man had said) selling various pieces of produce: fruit, vegetables, livestock, etc, as well as pieces of clothing, jewelry, and various other items, all set up in wooden booths or under wide-roofed tents. Various people on horses and speeders and such were either navigating in and out of the town, or storing their assorted modes of transportation in any of the fine storage facilities available to those who were willing to pay for them.

The money (and Link's growling stomach) reminded Link to check his wallet to see how much he had. He was careful not to make a show of it while he did so, so as not to draw the attention of any of the wandering waifs that ran through the masses, giggling to themselves as they managed stealing rupees from those who guarded their purses with much less vigilance.

He'd picked up a few rupees from the hidden grasses along the path he and Navi had traveled and he counted and small fortune of fifty rupees. Good, now he could get some food.

And devise a way to sit next to the small boy sitting on the edge of the fountain in the center of the plaza without actually looking like he'd singled the boy out. Yeah… right. Okay.

Link decided to play it safe where the food was concerned, since he recognized certain meals and treats that were being sold by some of the vendors as things he'd eaten back in the forest. The fried Cucoo, for one, was something he was very familiar with and decided upon that. The lady selling them smiled at him politely, and even gave him a little white candy made of hardened sugar that was in the shape of a feather because he'd been just as polite in return.

Once he'd made his purchases, Link took his food and his remaining money (which he put in his hat for safekeeping from the little thieves) and sat down on the fountain to the left of the boy, but still a little ways away. He contented himself with munching on the fried meat and observing the city's beauty.

After a little while, when he was almost done with his food, the boy on his right sighed and ran a hand through his light brown hair, looking over at Link. He had on a beige tunic similar to Link's that was also belted at the waist, only his tunic leggings were a similar shade to that of his tunic, rather than white.

"Hey, um…" Link looked up from his last bite and swallowed, turning to the other. "Yes?" The boy ruffled the back of his hair sheepishly.

"I meant to ask you for your name, actually." Link smiled.

"It's okay. I'm Link. You?" The boy returned his smile, looking glad that he had someone to talk to.

"I'm Anakin. Anakin Skywalker." Link hummed softly, turning to his sugary treat. "Hey, you want some of this? There's enough to share." Anakin's smile became a gentle smirk. "Sure, thanks!" Link broke the sugar feather into two and gave the other half to Anakin.

"So are you here in town with someone? It's market day today, and I can imagine you'd get lost pretty quick in all this." Link gestured to the crowds.

"Yeah, I'm here with someone. My Master… but he left me here to do some business up at the castle. I knew I'd be bored, so I bought a game to play while I waited… turns out it needs two players, though." Link's ears perked up at the part about the castle but he watched as Anakin's face lit up a little when he'd figured something out.

"Hey, you want to play?" Link shrugged and gave a little nod as he looked over the game that Anakin began setting up. It was a square, foldable board with sixty-four squares alternating in black and white colors on the surface. Anakin was also pulling out several small pieces and placing them along the topmost and bottommost sets of sixteen squares. "It's called chess, and the man who sold it to me explained how to play it." Anakin explained that the first line of pieces that were all the same were called pawns, and the second line had a king, queen, two bishops, two knights, and two castles, which were also called rooks.

He also explained how the pieces moved across the board, how pieces were removed from the board, how you could only win when you removed the other player's king from play, and finally he said that since Link had the white pieces he had to make the first move.

Link nodded and moved a pawn forward.

"You said something about coming here with a… Master?" Anakin nodded. "Yeah. He's a Jedi Master and I'm his padawan. I think your word for it would be his... apprentice." Link tilted his head. "Jedi Master?" The phrase was familiar to him, but he couldn't place where he'd heard it. Anakin nodded again. "You know about Jedi Masters don't you?" Link frowned. "No, I don't think so. I don't actually live around here and maybe others around here would know… the phrase sounds familiar, though."

Anakin finally moved a piece and gestured for Link to make his move as he explained what a Jedi Master was. "Well, from what my Master told me, your planet is part of a collection of planets that is connected to the Order on Coruscant. That means it has several representatives or ambassadors in the Senate that is also on Coruscant." Link nodded up at him as he made another move.

A few more moves later and Anakin had explained in as much detail as he could remember that the Jedi were protectors and keepers of the peace among the planets, or as many as they possibly could. After a little while Link remembered where he'd heard the phrase before. Makar had told Link a story about them a long time ago, but Link had thought it was just that: a story.

"I think a friend told me about the Knights when I was younger. That might be where I heard it from," he said absently. "Really?" said Anakin, intrigued, "Well I'm going to be a Jedi Master someday, with a lightsaber and everything!" Link smiled at the other boy's enthusiasm.

He told Anakin that he'd come to the town because he'd been sent to find someone yhere and not much more than that. While the boy was indeed from another planet, he still wasn't sure if he should say anything about being sent by a tree to find a princess. It just didn't seem right. Time passed, and after several tricky plays and maneuvering his pieces, Link looked over the board and smiled.

"Oh, I believe that's checkmate, by the way."

He moved his queen over through the one spot that Anakin had missed when fortifying his king's shield of chessmen.

"Aw, really? I lost?" Anakin sighed. "It's okay," Link assured him, "Everyone loses sometime. I've never even played this game before. But you know? Stuff happens. People die. That's just… life." He finished sadly, his thoughts lingering on the memory of the Great Deku Tree and his curse. Anakin hummed a bit in understanding as he watched Link's eyes, sensing that the other boy really knew what he was talking about.

Anakin was just about to reset the board when he heard Obi-Wan calling from the steps leading to the Castle. "Anakin! Come on!"

He turned to Link. "Hey, I have to go." Link looked up and saw the man from before standing at the steps, and then he turned to Anakin. "Oh, well it was nice meeting you." The two boys stood and bowed slightly to each other as Anakin returned the sentiment and left to rejoin his master. He watched them go and stayed that way for a while, and probably would have stayed that way if it hadn't been for someone saying a little too loudly in his ear, "You're not from around here, are you?"

Link jumped, loosing Navi from his hat. He turned around to see the speaker and found that it was a girl about his age with bright orange hair. "Oh! You're one of those! A fairy boy from the forest, right? My name is Malon. My dad, that guy over there loading those milk crates, owns the Lon Lon Ranch not too far from here. What's your name?"

Link blinked for a moment before looking at Navi, who shrugged.

"I'm Link," he said after he'd found his voice again.

Malon smiled. "My dad is busy getting ready to deliver the milk for the royal family up to the castle, but I'm not allowed to help out… only my brother, Romani, is allowed to help. Apparently," she said in a huff, "I'm too _delicate_." Link smiled a little, but then an idea struck him as he watched the man and the boy who he supposed was Romani load the crates onto a cart.

It seemed... like he might've found his way into the castle after all.

"Hey, Malon? I think there's something you can help _me_ with…"

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><p>Ahh… seventeen pages… ugh. So… yeah. I've decided to nix Link sneaking in to where Talon is, because right now I don't have the brainpower to write much else. Of course she'll still give Link the Cucoo egg so he can wake Talon once he escapes his crate… and he still has to get past those guards to get to Zelda so he still has to sneak for a little bit. I won't leave that out. But, yeah. I'm done for today. ^_^<p>

Anyone who has favorited this story or has put this story on alert is requi–I mean _encouraged_ to click the little button and REVIEW. Thank you. :)


	4. Tale of a Dream

Chapter Four: Tale of a Dream

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><p>Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force<p>

Chapter: 4

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: Well as of now, George Lucas still owns Star Wars and Shigeru Miyamoto still owns the Legend of Zelda. And, last I checked, both of them are guys. I'm a girl. You do the math. I own nothing, except my plot.

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

Yes, there is an actual plot. And yes, we're getting to it, but I need you all to sit tight while I work on some character development, okay? Thanks.

Now go read my stuff. :)

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><p>By the time Link realized the possible kinks in his plan to get past the castle gates, it was a little too late to get himself out of it.<p>

Partly, because, he was sort of stuck inside a milk crate…

But when he'd mentioned to Malon that he had something she might be able to help him with, she wasn't really listening to the particulars. He guessed that he might even be able to tell her that he'd been sent by a tree to find the Princess of Destiny, and she wouldn't care. Yeah.

It _was_ good plan, theoretically, having Malon secretly help him climb into one of the half-filled crates and sealing it over with hastily tacked on boards so no one would notice… then he'd be put on the cart and whisked away through the gates. Seeing the opportunity, Link decided to take it.

Before Malon had sealed up his box she pulled out a large egg from her apron pocket and gave it to Link. When he looked puzzled, she explained that sometimes Talon fell asleep while delivering the milk. Link blinked at that, but he'd had to duck his head before it got whacked with a two-by-four.

Romani, Malon's twin, was a sharp kid. Through a little hole in the side of the box Link could see him frowning like he somehow knew there was more than milk inside the crate, but the man, Talon, picked up the crate and told the boy to watch over his sister while he delivered the milk before the boy could say anything. That was the first instance where Link's heart had stopped beating for a moment and he realized that his flawless plan might not be so flawless. The crate was slightly uncomfortable too, but he could handle that.

The second instance was when the castle guards stopped Talon at the gate to inspect his cargo… that they did by opening the box _right_ next to his, and proclaiming him ready to continue once it was confirmed to be Talon's delivery of milk. Link had to hold in a rather large sigh and take short, quiet breaths to calm his racing heart _again_.

But that was the last thing that happened. And Link wasn't worried because they'd stopped, or because Talon had gotten off the cart to unload the crates, but rather that nothing _else_ was happening.

Navi fluttered out from under Link's hat, illuminating the inside of the crate with her brilliant blue light.

"Um, why have we stopped?" she asked, hands on her little hips and her feminine features twisted into a look that all but screamed _I told you so__**. **_Link frowned and peered outside his crate, but he could only see part of the left back wheel of the cart and the left front and back hooves of the horse that had pulled the cart, through the hole in the side of his crate. It was night, because it looked like the cobblestones reflected a mixture of the moon and torchlight.

He pulled away, shaking his head. "I can't see much. I have no idea where–"

Suddenly there was a very loud, abrupt snort from somewhere to the left of their crate. Link jumped, hitting his head against the top of his crate and bumping his knees against the side. Navi hit the top of the crate as well in his surprise, and fell into Link's lap. Once they managed to recover their wits, Navi resumed her flight and asked eloquently, "What the…? What was that?"

Link shrugged. "Maybe you could slip through and find out?"

She turned to him and gave him a look. Link shrugged again and gestured to the crate. "So okay, I didn't really think this through." After Navi shot him another look Link ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't really talk to you about like I said I would, but…" Link's expression became a little more serious as he paused and continued with, "What I need now is for you to go out there and see what's making that noise. And, maybe even help me find a way out of this crate so we can find the Princess. The Deku Tree did ask you to help me." He gave her the little crooked smile that the Cucoo lady had fawned over before.

"Please?" Link added after a moment. Navi sighed.

"All right, fine. But next time you start thinking up any plans, you need to consult me first, okay?" Link nodded, grinning now. "Okay."

With Link's help, Navi managed to wriggle out of the little hole in the side of the crate and out into the open. Once she was outside, Link stage-whispered as loud as he dared, "You see anything?" Navi huffed. "Yeah, I see something all right. You remember what that girl said about her father?" Link frowned, thinking back. Then he groaned. "You're not… serious, are you?"

Navi nodded even though Link couldn't see her.

"Apparently he's fallen asleep on the ground… I really can't see how that's comfortable exactly but even if he were awake, I'm pretty sure that the whole point of this excursion was to get inside the castle _unnoticed._ So should I see if I can help you out of that crate first or do you want to wait until morning?"

Link winced as another cramp in his right foot twitched in pain.

"I think I'd like to get out of the box first. I don't know about you, but I think Talon's got the right idea about laying on the ground." Link breathed out a sigh. "Cause I am really starting to get some serious cramps from sitting in here like this." Navi giggled. "Well, someone's getting a little too big for their britches, huh?" Link pouted.

"Navi, I'm a Kokiri, I don't get old. Now hurry up and help me out… try pulling off the nails inside the planks Malon tacked on this thing."

So Navi began to pry the nails from the boards Malon had used to seal up the crate. "Ugh," Navi grunted as she slid her fingers behind the last nail and pulled as hard as she could, her wings flickering at a fever pitch, "man, this is the last time I do something like this for y-whoa!" The nail beneath Navi's grip slid free with amazing swiftness after just a few moments, sending Navi flying backwards onto the cobblestones. The plank fell off with a soft clank, and the nail flew out of Navi's grip and off in the direction of the moat that bubbled happily alongside the sleeping Talon.

Link wriggled free of the crate then, finally falling out onto the ground after catching his left foot on another plank. He shook himself as he sat up, and scooped Navi into his hands once he found her lying unconscious by his wayward hat.

"Are you all right Navi? Come on now, say something…"

Navi proceeded to sleepily groan in response, but seemed to be all right as far as Link could tell. He looked up at the moon and yawned, glancing at the sleeping Talon and wondering if he should wake him up now or later. He also thought about Malon and her brother Romani, but figured Romani could look after his sister until morning.

So Link dug through his hat and found a small bundle of cloth he could use as a pillow and laid down on the ground beside Talon and the crates, since it was as good a place as any, and Link needed the rest.

He fell asleep with his body curled around the little fairy, dreaming of the forest and his friends.

.oOo.

A man stared down at the city from one of the castle's central balconies. He hadn't planned on coming to the castle today, but thinking back on what he'd learned since his return, he thought it was a good thing indeed that he'd come. He fingered the tabs on the leather straps in worry; the news that had drawn him to the castle after he'd finished his business in town hadn't been good news…

"Auru? You're still here?"

The man, Auru, turned to address the speaker, his dark orange robes swishing softly as he did so. He nodded his head ever so slightly in greeting, his gray eyes locking with the pair of ruby coals that studied him intently.

"Yes, I'm still here. I thought you, of all people, would know why I've stayed instead of seeing to my other duties."

The speaker, still cloaked in shadow, hummed quietly in agreement. "Well I wouldn't hold that against you. Having the king of the desert come here, of all times… it's unsettling, to say the least. Do you think we should ask the Jedi to stay in case things go the wrong way?"

Auru shook his head, turning back to his view of the moonlit city. "I don't think so. These are our negotiations that we have to deal with, not theirs. They're having some trouble of their own I think, and it might not be best to burden them with hunches and gut feelings, no matter how much they may bother us. Still, I feel that you may be right that these negotiations are more than they seem. I can't put my finger on why, though."

"I think you know why, Auru. You should listen to the Princess more often."

Auru sighed. "But what can we do? If he does plan to… to take the opportunity, we don't have any cause for pre-accusation. We're…"

"Trapped," finished the other. "Somehow he knew that at this point in the process we'd have no cause to call him out on his plans… you might as well start preparing the others."

"And what about… _her_?"

"Train her." A little light shifted onto the speaker to reveal the glint of armor and a smirk on a set of feminine lips. "I get the feeling she's going to need it."

Afterwards, the two left and retired for the night.

.oOo.

"CAAAWCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOO!"

Link bolted upright with a half scream stuck crawling itself out of his dry mouth and shook himself into a twitching fit onto a patch of nearby grass.

He sat there for a while, trying to catch his breath, and when he finally did, he glanced down at the little winged human that lay on the ground, still sleeping. Surely, someone _else_ had to have heard that Goddess-awful screeching?

Apparently not.

He glanced over at Talon, who was also still sleeping next to the merry moat. He didn't seem to have heard it either… Link rolled his eyes and stuffed his bundle back in his hat as Navi, cooling in the shadow Link cast, stirred into a peaceful awakening. Link chose not to ask her if she'd heard anything just before waking, because he suddenly found the cause of the ghastly uproar.

He'd forgotten all about the egg Malon had given him. Well, since being stuffed into his hat inside the crate on the way to the castle, the Kokiri Emerald had found a spot next to the egg and planted itself there, warming the egg rather nicely. It had since then accelerated the growth of the thing inside the egg, which now happened to be flapping and cooing around the area in a happy little dance.

It was a Cucoo. A _live_, fully-grown, adult Cucoo. Wonderful.

"Um, Link? Is that what I think it is?" asked Navi skeptically. Link nodded, and muttered, deadpan, "Yeah, it is."

They stared at it for a while until Navi gave a little gasp, pushed herself off the ground and stared flying up and down in an excited, frantic twitter. "Do you know what Cucoo are best known for?" Link huffed a short stream of air through his nose as he looked down at the fluffy white creature. He could very well guess at what it did… but he decided to humor Navi and ask.

"No, what are they known for?" he asked sarcastically.

The sarcasm somewhat lost on the little fairy, Navi giggled and told him.

"They're known for being the only thing that can wake a deep or spelled sleeper, short of using a waking spell. We could use this one to wake Talon!"

The two glanced at the bird.

"So how exactly do we get it to do that?" Link asked. Then he drew his sword, looked up at Navi, and they shared a wicked, conspiratorial grin.

"CAAAWCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOO!"

It seemed to work, for as soon as the bird had released its grating shriek, Talon's eyes opened instantly and he appeared to have a similar reaction to Link's in being woken up by the Cucoo. Link caught the creature quickly and coaxed it back into his hat, where he presumed it found a place by the Emerald to curl up and wait for the next person in need of waking.

"What in tarnation?" Talon complained loudly, "Can't a person get a little shut-eye around here?" He seemed to notice the broken plank lying beneath the cart. "Huh? What's that…?"

He hadn't appeared to notice Link, so Link took the opportunity to introduce himself as an excuse to draw Talon's attention away from the crate.

"Excuse me sir," Link said, tapping Talon on the shoulder. "Huh?" Talon turned to look at Link. "Oh, hello. And who might you be?" Link smiled a wide, innocent smile up at Talon. "I'm Link, sir. And you're Talon, right?" Talon grinned and puffed up his chest a little. "Yep, that's me! I'm the owner of Lon Lon Ranch. I came here to the castle to deliver some milk, but I guess I sat down here to rest and fell asleep…"

Link sighed, chuckling sheepishly. "Well, your girl Malon is still waiting for you with her brother, you know…" Talon gasped. "What? Malon! And Romani! Still waiting for me in the town square? I'm gonna catch it from them now!" Talon quickly ran over to the cart and turned it around in the direction of the path back to town, snapping on the horse's reigns to get going.

Once they were out of sight, Navi giggled. "Poor guy… those two are really gonna let him have it when he gets back into town!" Link hummed quietly.

"So… how do we get inside?" Silence.

Navi glanced over at the wall, where a little hole underneath a large wooden plank with a triangular symbol on it fed a small trickle of water back into the moat. "If you could get over there, you might be able to fit in that crawlspace…" Link gauged the distance between him and the edge of the crawlspace. "But how would I get over there? It's a little far…"

Navi thought for a moment, then smiled. "You could use these milk crates!"

"But what about…?" Navi laughed. "Don't worry about the milk getting wet, they're all in glass bottles. Besides, isn't milk already wet?" Link frowned. "That's not what I what going to say, but I guess if it gets us over there…"

So Link pushed two of the smaller crates off the side of the ledge and it gave him a perfect level height and distance to jump across to the crawlspace, which he proceeded to do. Besides being a little damp, it was actually pretty nice inside the crawlspace. He came out in a little pool of crystal water that was fed by more water off to his right. Small trees littered the fine grass and there was a door leading inside that was also to his right. It was locked, however, so Link found he had no choice but to proceed along the path through the gardens.

"Careful Link! There are guards here, too!" Navi warned him as he stepped behind a hedge-bush before the single guard in this particular section of the gardens saw him. "Yeah, I guessed that," he snapped quietly, "after almost being caught, that is." Navi held back a laugh, and Link shot her a look before glancing to see if the guard had passed around the corner yet or not.

He had, and so Link ran as fast and as quietly as his little legs would carry him. The next section of the garden consisted of two large fountains with two guards walking around them, set between two more long hedges. Link watched their movements for a few moments before waiting until both guards were behind the fountains and their spray before running past them.

He had to stop running to take a breath in the next section, and Navi took one as well, sitting on her shoulder and fanning herself with a hand to ward off heat. "You okay?" Link asked her. She nodded, but Link offered her his hat in case she felt too tired to fly so fast for such a time.

"I have more endurance than that," she told him, and so they moved on.

The area they were in now contained a long wooden structure with plants growing across the top like a canopy. "Watch where you step," whispered Navi as Link climbed on top to walk above the patrolling guard below, "I don't think those plants can hold you if make a wrong move…" Link nodded, and proceeded to take very slow steps across the wooden plank in the middle. Finally making it across and climbing back down, Link could allow himself time to breathe just a little.

Peeking around a long stone barrier, Link could see a larger fountain being patrolled by two guards. They walked along opposite corners at synchronized times, and Link frowned as he tried to figure out how to sneak past these particular guards.

"Walk behind one as it come around the corner of the fountain closest to us," Navi suggested, "then run for your life before the other guard spots you!"

"Gee, thanks Navi." Link whispered back, rolling his eyes.

It did work, despite the fact that Link had tripped over his own boots _twice_ sneaking behind the guard, and his stomach had started grumbling when he ran past the guard into the next area, sliding behind a tall hedge at the very end of what Navi informed him appeared to be the last part of the courtyard.

He dug through his hat to find a few small bread cakes that were warm from the stone's heat, and he ate them quickly before glancing over the hedge at the last garden. It was longer than the others, with a large statue of a sage that lived thousands of years ago standing in the middle of it, surrounded by bushes full of large, colorful flowers. The two guards that patrolled the area were surprisingly the easiest to sneak past, both walking side by side and talking about where they planned to take their sweethearts come next market day. Link had to roll his eyes at that; at least the other guardsmen were actually working.

Finally he came to a large stone hallway that led down into a beautiful garden.

"Wow," Link breathed, "we made it." Navi nodded, sighing happily. "Whew! I'm glad that's over, huh?" Link nodded, walking swiftly down the hall and across the quiet grass, hesitating at the steps when he realized that someone was standing there… looking out of the window. It looked like a girl in a blue and white dress with a lovely purple vest. Her blond hair was tied back by a white and purple decorative cloth of some sort.

It had to be the Princess… and he had to say something. But this was… she was… um…

A twig snapped underneath Link's boot and her right ear twitched at the sound. She turned around quickly, then gasped when she saw Link standing in front of her at the bottom of the steps.

Uh oh.

"Who? Who are you?" Here, the princess put her hands to her hips and demanded, "And how did you get past my guards?" She had the bluest eyes and fairest skin Link had ever seen. Link flushed and looked down, somehow feeling even more embarrassed than he would have felt if the guards themselves had caught him. "I, well… um…" he stammered, trying to fit the words past lips that just refused to work right.

"Well they weren't very good guards," Navi piped, wriggling out from under Link's hat, "we snuck right past them when they weren't looking!" Link gasped, finally recovering his ability to speak. "Navi! Don't talk to the Princess that way!"

The Princess blinked, staring at the strange spectacle in front of her. She saw the boy in green try to think up an excuse for being there for a few moments and was about to call for the guards (or better yet, her attendant) when a little ball of white light crawled out from under his hat and transformed itself into a tiny winged figure of a young woman with clear, pale skin, blue curls, and bright blue eyes. It was… wasn't that…?

"Oh! What's that?" The Princess looked even closer at the creature, which the boy in green was now scolding furiously, "Is that… a fairy?"

Both the boy and the fairy stopped and stared at her curiously, their argument forgotten. She cracked a small smile. "Then, are you… are you from the forest?" The boy blinked slowly, and then, glancing over to his fairy, nodded once. She gasped a little, excited now, and clasped her hands. "Then, then… you wouldn't happen to have… the Spiritual Stone of the Forest? That shining, green stone?" She met his eyes with her own wide, blue orbs. They sparkled a little in the light, Link thought, dumbstruck.

"Well? Do you have it?" Link took off his hat and rummaged through it, his hand finally coming to rest on the warm, green stone. He pulled it out and showed it to her, the princess giggling with sheer delight once her eyes caught the Stone's soft glow.

"Just as I thought!" she laughed. "Oh, I thought you'd never come!"

Link frowned. "Never come? What… what do you mean by that?" The Princess smiled at him sadly as he put the Stone back in his hat. "Well, perhaps I should start at the beginning." Link nodded, still watching the Princess intently. "That would help me out a lot, Princess."

She took in a deep breath then, and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she gazed at Link with a storyteller's air.

"There has always been strong magic in the Royal Family. In fact, many of them are great magicians and warriors in their own right, but only one of them at a time is gifted with the Royal Family's greatest treasure: prophetic dreams. The last prophetic dreamer died with my mother when she gave birth to me, and I was the one who inherited her power." Here, she paused, frowning. "My father, the King, doesn't think I have them, and refuses to listen to my warnings. Everyone else believes though, even some of father's close advisors, but he won't listen to them either…"

She sighed again and assumed a gentler impression, this time one of a prophetess recalling a prophecy.

"Not too long ago, I had a dream… and in the dream, dark clouds were billowing over the land of Hyrule. Just when all seemed lost, suddenly a ray of light shot out of the forest, parted the clouds, and lit up the ground. The light turned into a green and shining stone, followed by a fairy… I knew this was a prophecy, that someone would come from the forest that might help me."

The Princess smiled a little once more as she looked up at Link.

"Yes, I thought you might be the one…" She blinked serenely a few times before a look of shock and alarm crossed her face. "Oh, I'm sorry! I got carried away with my story and didn't even properly introduce myself! What would father think…?" Link chuckled and flashed a smile back up at her. "That's all right. But it would be nice to call you something other than Princess… Princess." She laughed softly in return.

"Well, now you know. I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule. But please, just call me Zelda whenever we're alone." Link nodded. "So what is your name?" Zelda giggled. "I can't be calling you 'the boy in green' all the time!"

"I'm Link," he told her, "and you already know this fluff ball here is Navi."

"Hey!" Navi retorted, "I happen to be the fluff ball that got you out of that crate you hid yourself in to get through the castle gates!" Link rolled his eyes and glanced in her direction. "You're not going to let me forget about that, are you?" Navi chuckled darkly and put her hands on her hips. "Nope!"

Zelda giggled. "Well, Link… strange, that name is somehow familiar… I've decided to tell you the secret about the Sacred Realm that has been passed down by the Royal Family of Hyrule." She sobered a bit before she added, "Please keep this a secret from everyone… for this is a secret many would exploit should they know of its existence." Link nodded solemnly.

"Well," Zelda began, "the legend goes like this… the three goddesses hid the last of their golden power somewhere in Hyrule. In that store of power lies enough magic to decide the fate of our entire planet and grant the wish of the one who holds that power in their hands. That power is sometimes known as the old magic, or the Triforce. If that someone who holds it is one of a righteous heart, they will lead Hyrule into a golden age of prosperity. However, if someone with an evil heart has their wish granted, the world will be consumed by evil… or at least that is what has been foretold."

Zelda stopped for a moment and frowned as she continued, "There are some who still believe the old writings… that this very same set of events happened once before, thousands of years ago. The ancient sages, the ones who built the Temple of Time to house and protect the Triforce from the evil ones, have handed down the story of the first Princess of Destiny and her Hero of Time in the hopes of preventing the same events from happening again. But now, I fear that the Temple is in danger, just as it was before."

Link, who had been lost in his own thoughts just as he had when the Deku Tree had handed down his story, looked up at her sharply when she finished the last sentence. "The Temple of Time is in danger again? Why?"

Zelda's pale, blond eyebrows knit together in worry.

"Because it is the entrance through which a person from this world can enter into the Sacred Realm! Though a stone that is called the Door of Time blocks the entrance, these events _have_ happened before. The Princess of Destiny from thousands of years past gave had the very same vision, and told it to a boy from the forest that was very much like you. And yet, though I see the signs, I do not know of any other way to save my world… our world."

It was a while before Link managed to gather the courage to speak.

"Whether or not these events might have happened thousands of years ago, I was sent here to find you and, apparently, save our planet. Just tell me what I must do, Zelda, and I will do it."

Zelda looked deep into Link's eyes and he likewise stared into hers. Did he know the consequences of his decision? It was hard to say. But, perhaps he might have the strength to bear them more than the last Hero had. She might not have to do what the last Princess did. After all, her attendant had once told her that history didn't really repeat… it only rhymed.

"All right, I'll tell you. In order to open the Door, you need three Spiritual Stones. You already have the first one. But you will also need the treasure that the Royal Family keeps along with this legend, the Ocarina of Time."

Link nodded. "Can you give the Ocarina to me now?" Zelda shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I don't have it with me now, and even if I did, I couldn't give it to you. You'll need to collect the other two stones first." She smiled at him, though it didn't really reach her eyes. She hoped beyond hope that he might not need… oh, wait! "Oh, I forgot to tell you something else!" Zelda stepped a few paces to the right of the window and gestured to it. "A short while ago, I was spying through this window. I believe that that man in there symbolizes the dark clouds in my dream. Will you take a look for me?"

Link stepped up to the window and looked through the glass. In it he saw a tall man in ragged black armor with red hair kneeling to someone, presumably the King.

"Do you see the man with the dark eyes?" He looked back at her briefly to reply, "Yes, I do," before looking into the window again. "That is Ganondorf, the King of the Gerudos, a people that hail from the desert in the west. He arrived yesterday seeking an audience with my father about signing a peace treaty between the Gerudos and the Hylian people, but… I do not believe him to be sincere. In fact, his arrival might confirm that the events of the present are indeed beginning to mirror the events of the past."

Link stared closely at the man, his mind somehow transcending the space between them, reaching out to the other… and finding blackness. Link gasped as the pure shadow was alerted and the man in the window turned to glance his way. Link stepped away from the window, eyes wide with fear…

"What happened?" Zelda asked him, "Did he see you?"

It was all Link could do to nod. She didn't have to know about the shadows… if he'd even seen them at all. "It's okay," Zelda comforted him, and then proceeding to flash a conspiratorial grin, "He doesn't know what we're planning… yet!" But her grin failed as she turned away, her countenance somber once again.

"Even though my father does not believe my vision was a reflection of the prophecy of old, it does not change the fact that that man is after Triforce!"

Link hummed quietly. "I was told that he might be after more than that…"

Zelda nodded. "Yes, yes! You understand! He's not the sort of man to be content with just this planet…" Link nodded seriously, ending with, "…but all the planets beyond ours. First Hyrule will fall…"

"…then Termina! And Labrynna! Holodrum! And then the other planets…"

She sighed. "He must be stopped, or he will be the one force to rule the whole universe… or even perhaps join with any that might already exist." She turned to Link.

"We are perhaps the only ones, save the sages who believe in the legend as much as I, that have the power to stop him. So, Link… you must find the other two Spiritual Stones while I protect the Ocarina of Time. Do you understand?" Link nodded shortly.

"Oh! One more thing…" Zelda dug through the pockets of her dress to find a small letter printed on very fine stationary. "This letter might help you out if you have trouble… present it to anyone who doesn't believe your story!"

Link had a hard time believing that a letter was going to convince anyone of anything, but he took it anyway, gently slipping it into his hat. Then he realized something that might pose a problem for him… "Uh, Zelda? How do I get _out _of the castle?" Zelda laughed. "Oh, just speak with my attendant over there!" She pointed to the entrance to the Courtyard, where a tall someone stood, though Link couldn't discern any features from that far away.

"Don't be afraid! She doesn't bite!" Navi scoffed. "So you say…" "Navi!"

Zelda giggled as they walked off in the direction of her attendant.

When Link finally got close enough to Zelda's attendant to see what the person was like, he blinked up in surprise. It was a very tall woman with slightly tan skin, ruby red eyes and short silver hair tied up at the back. She wore sort of purple and black battle-suit and boots with pieces of silver armor covering seemingly random parts of her body, including the large chest and body plate she wore. A dagger or a finely made falchion was set in a horizontal sheath on her back, and stiff black armguards were tied onto her arms.

"I am Impa of the Sheikah," she said, "I am responsible for protecting Princess Zelda. Everything is exactly as the Princess foretold. You are indeed a courageous boy, setting out and a big, new adventure like this. Well, my role in the Princess's dream was to teach a melody to the one from the forest."

She narrowed her sharp eyes at him as she continued with, "This is an ancient melody that has been passed down through the Royal Family for thousands of years, and I have played this song ever since she was a baby. There is a mysterious power in these notes… come now. Do you have an instrument?"

Link nodded, pulling out the Fairy Ocarina from his hat and putting his hat back on as Impa smiled. It was a genuine smile, but the way it set on her features was a little more intimidating than comforting.

"Now listen carefully, and memorize this song…"

Impa held up a few fingers to her lips and whistled a set of three notes, which repeated, and then she repeated it again, faster. When she finished, she looked down at him to see if he could repeat it on his own. The Ocarina wasn't an instrument Link was unfamiliar with, but he hadn't played one in a long time. Still, the notes somehow came to him as he fingered the little clay instrument, and the melody became something that transcended space and time itself…

Then the Ocarina began to glow, and Link held it away from himself ever so slightly. A name came into his head… Zelda's Lullaby… a name for the song.

"So…" Impa began again, "now to get you out of here. If the castle guards found you inside the castle alone, there would be trouble. However, if you're with me, you'll get out of here just fine. I think I'll take you outside the town gates, because there are a few things a need to tell you before we part ways."

She turned on her heel and gestured with her hand for Link to follow.

"Come on, now!" Link nodded and followed her quickly into the tunnel.

* * *

><p>Ugh, finally! Man, do you realize how boring it is to write about Link sneaking past the guards? (Okay, so maybe it might not be so boring when you read it, but dang… that took forever…) And… yeah. Link being stuck in the crate kind of stuck me too… guess I wasn't thinking either, lol!<p>

Remember now, I would like anyone who has favorited or put this story alert to review please. I'd love to be one of those demanding authors and yell at you, but I really can't stomach the stuff. So I'll be as demanding as possible while still being polite.

REVIEW PLEASE! Thank you. :)


	5. Show of Strength

Chapter Five: Show of Strength

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><p>Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force<p>

Chapter: 5

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: If I had a flux capacitator I might be able to own this… or a Jedi Mind trick. However, since I am lacking in both materials, this is still not mine. Only the plot concept is mine.

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

Okay, here's the thing. I've got summer assignments to work on and this is how it's going to work until school starts up again (which is my _senior_ _year _by the way…) at which point the actual upload dates of any of my chapters will no longer be of any certainty. I should be able to upload at least one chapter, maybe two every week, unless I expect to be going somewhere or doing something that might prohibit the writing process. This may include but is not limited to: other plotbunnies, video games, summer assignments, personal artwork, writer's block, etc.

So, uh… all right. Carry on. :)

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><p>Link was very happy to say that though he may have entered the castle through a crate, he didn't have to exit the castle through another. It didn't exactly mean he was able to stroll through the front gates (boy, would that have sent the guards into a head scratching tizzy) but soon Zelda's attendant, Impa, had brought him back to the gates outside the town, overlooking the field and the path down to Kakariko Village and Death Mountain.<p>

"You brave lad…" Impa sighed, "We must protect this land of Hyrule, truly!"

Link frowned, standing beside her. "But if the set events that Princess Zelda told me about has already begun, how do we stop it? Didn't that other Hero and Princess try to collect the Stones to open the Door?" Impa chuckled and hummed quietly. "Don't you worry about that. The sages are already working on a solution…" She frowned and sighed again; muttering something that sounded an awful lot like, "…well, if there's a solution to be had, anyway."

She turned to him then and smiled tiredly, gently flicking her head in the direction of the mountain. "See that mountain over there? That is Death Mountain, home of the Gorons. They guard the Spiritual Stone of Fire. At the foot of Death Mountain, you will find my village, Kakariko. It is where I was born and raised." She turned and gestured at a road directly south from the gates. "Down that road is Lon Lon Ranch. You may go in whatever direction you wish, but remember that the Stone is your priority."

Here Impa paused to flash a quick, crooked smile. "And whenever you do finally arrive at the village, I would talk to a few of the villagers before you go up the mountain." Link walked slowly across the grass until Impa was behind him. He stared across the plains and little saplings surrounding the distant entrance into the village.

"Child?" Link's ears twitched, and he turned to her. "Yes ma'am?" She smiled again, and this smile did manage a comforting gaze with an undercurrent of amusement.

"You must understand that the song I taught you a few moments ago has some mysterious power. Only Royal Family members and those truly loyal to the Royal Family are allowed to learn that song. It will help prove your connection to the Royal Family much more than that letter the Princess gave you. Remember that the Princess is waiting for you to return with the stones… do not tarry. Time is of the essence. We're counting on you, child."

Link sensed she was about to do something to leave, but he stopped her first.

"Wait! Where is the third stone?" Impa thought for a moment. "The Spiritual Stone of Water? It's down the river a ways… in Zora's Domain. Now, farewell!" She flashed a wily grin and threw down a Deku Nut. When Link's sight finally cleared, she was gone.

Link blinked, staring stupidly at the ground where she'd been.

"So…" he said slowly, glancing up and over to Navi, "where to first?"

Navi fluttered and looked up at the sun. She'd been a little white ball of light some moments ago, but was once again a little human girl with crystal wings and blue curls.

"I don't really know… I'm kind of interested in seeing that Malon girl again. How far is it from here to the ranch? Or the village?" "It's about three miles to the ranch, and four to the village. From the ranch to the village it's five, but if we hurry, we can make it there by dark, if not a little after."

He blanched at the image in his mind of the creatures that roamed the fields at night… Stalkids. "The map says the village doesn't have a drawbridge, nut it does have some stairs and Stalkids can't follow up a flight of manmade stairs, so we should be able to get there even if the sun sets while we're still crossing the bridge over the river." Link nodded, and folded the map up again. "So, Lon Lon Ranch it is!"

.oOo.

It was about noon when Link and Navi entered the Ranch. It smelled of wood, hay, and horse musk, which was a kind of soothing combination. Someone was singing a gentle melody somewhere within the ranch. As Link padded slowly across the dirt path and reached the door to what looked like the ranch house he could hear that muffled clucking sounds resonated from within. They made Link think of the Cucco that was still in his hat.

"Hey, maybe she's in here?" he glanced at Navi, who shrugged.

Link knocked on the door. No one answered. He gave the handle an experimental turn, and it twisted in his grasp. It was unlocked. Looking around to see if there was anyone else (which there wasn't) he turned the knob all the way around and entered.

Closing the door behind him, the cooing and clucking sounds became louder, and he suddenly found himself surrounded by more Cucco than he could count! Well, actually he could, there were only about fifteen Cuccos in the room, not counting the three sitting near the (yet again) sleeping Talon. Although, to be honest, they kept moving and so Link couldn't keep an exact count of the darned things… so eventually he gave up.

There were some stairs leading up to rooms where he supposed Talon, Romani, and Malon slept, dressed, and cooked their meals, but Link doubted anyone was up there since it was about halfway through the day and there was still probably a lot of work to be done. So he decided to focus upon the sleeping Talon, again.

"Should we wake him up with the Cucco again?" Link asked Navi drolly as he stood in front of the man. Navi shook her head. "No, I don't think so… try calling his name instead." Link gave her a skeptical look but simply shrugged.

"Excuse me, sir… Mr. Talon sir?" Link asked in as loud and steady a voice as he could. It actually seemed to do the trick, since Talon mumbled a bit and sat up straighter in an instant, grumbling, "Huh? I'm awake already!" Navi hid under his hat for general purposes, although she was careful not to get too close to the Cucco and the Emerald.

"What?" Talon rubbed his bleary, blinking eyes as he focused on Link. "Well I'll be! If it ain't the forest kid from this morning! I owe you many thanks for waking me up! It took some doing, but I finally got Romani in good mood. Malon's not much for getting angry, though she did yak my ears off about falling asleep on the job all the way back home… humph." He straightened out a few wayward whiskers in his beard before hoisting himself up onto a wooden worktable and smiled down at Link.

"So, what are you up to today?" Link shrugged. "Nothing much." He wasn't sure how to answer Talon's question, since he really hadn't planned on doing much except finding Malon and talking with her, then heading for the village and finding a few things out about the mountain like Impa had suggested.

"So you got some free time on your hands, huh? How 'bout a little game?"

Link thought it over a moment before nodding slightly. "Sure, why not? What's the game?" Talon grinned. "You see these Cuccos here?" He showed Link the three Cuccos sitting on the table next to him. "They're special _Super Cuccos_." Link frowned. They really just looked like any ordinary Cuccos. He kept his face blank as Talon explained the rules. "So the game is that I'm going to throw these Cuccos into that gaggle of normal Cuccos, and if you can pick these three special birds out from among the normal Cuccos within the time limit, I'll give you something good."

By now, Link was fairly skeptical about the whole business, but he was mildly curious about the 'something good' that Talon promised if he found all three within the time limit. He watched Talon pull out a small stopwatch from the pocket of his overalls and smile at Link. "You ready?" Link stared at the Cuccos for a long time before nodding. He could somehow sense there _was_ something different about the three Cuccos, and all he would have to do was rely on that instinct. "Sure, sir."

"Aw, now. Call me Talon. Okay, you got thirty seconds, now start lookin'!"

In an instant Talon released the birds on the table and Link watched them fly into the air and land amongst the other birds. One thankfully landed nearby, and Talon whistled excitedly when he dived to catch it. "That's one of 'em! Keep it up! Two more to go!" Link scanned the room with hawk's eyes, frowning. Then he blinked. He could sense one of the strange Cuccos in the middle of all the others, flapping about. He couldn't tell which one, but he knew the general direction, so he dived again, coming up triumphant with a squirming Cucco in his hands.

"There's another one! One more to go!"

Link couldn't search the last of the Cuccos out with his instincts because they could only faintly sense the other Cucco now, probably since he didn't have much magical sense to begin with. So the last one was a simple though frantic matter of searching through the remaining Cuccos until he found it. Which, thankfully, he did and Talon grinned at him as he brought it back, blowing on a whistle he'd also pulled from his overalls. "That's the last one! You found 'em all! Come on and bring it back over here!"

When Link was close enough, he released the Cucco and it scampered on top on the counter where Talon sat. "Well, now!" Talon laughed, slapping his thigh in his amusement, "You've got the talent to be one of this ranch's best ranch hands! Say, how'd you like to marry Malon, huh?"

Link wasn't sure what that was exactly, but he blushed furiously anyway, and Talon guffawed at Link's reaction.

"I was just kidding! Just kidding! I think you're a little a little young for that, aren't you? Anyway… here. I'm proud to present to you a sample of our very own Lon Lon Milk! You'll be energized the moment you drink it! And, as a bonus, after you drink it, you can bring back the bottle and buy a refill anytime you want!" Link smiled happily as Talon handed him a bottle of milk.

"Thank you, sir!" Talon sighed and slid back down to finish his nap as Link left the house.

Link stuffed the bottle of milk in his hat as Navi flew out of it.

"Well, that was eventful… and I suppose it wasn't entirely a waste of time, netting us a whole bottle and everything." Link rolled his eyes. "You complain too much, Navi. Now come on, I want to find out where Malon is!" Navi shrugged and flew after him, shifting back into a winged ball of light as he walked out into the main corral of the ranch.

Link stopped dead in his tracks when he came to it. The place was huge!

Right to his left was the cart that Talon had left with that very morning from the castle, he assumed the horse that had drawn it was either running around out here with all the other horses, or somewhere inside the stables, which he figured was the other building next to the ranch house that had a door. There were some stray Cuccos that pecked at the grass around it. The singing he'd heard before was louder out here, and it sounded kind of sweet and pretty. A girl's voice. Some of the girl Kokiri sang with pretty tones like that. He was careful to avoid the horses that ran around the corral and entered the center, where he spotted Malon tending to a smaller reddish foal, singing softly.

Malon was a smart girl like her brother, so when she heard footsteps coming up behind her she didn't assume it was someone she knew. However, to her surprise, it _was_ someone she knew!

"Oh, hello! It's the fairy boy again!" Link frowned. "I did tell you my name, right? Didn't I?" Malon nodded and giggled. "Yeah, you did. I just like calling you fairy boy more. Link, wasn't it?" She smiled a little more. "So dad fell asleep again, huh? Glad you woke him up for us! And did you get in the castle like you wanted? Did you see the Princess?" Link flashed her a sheepish grin.

"Yeah, actually. I did." Malon rocked back on her heels and grinned back.

"Well that's really amazing! Hey now, you need to be introduced to my friend here, fairy boy!" She giggled again, her red hair lifting a little in the light breeze. Link glanced over, assuming she meant the horse.

"Her name is Epona. Isn't she cute?" Link walked over to the little horse and looked into its wide, trusting eyes. He did have to admit, she was pretty. The horse, anyway. Her russet coat gleamed in the noonday sun. "Hey," he whispered softly, "how are you?" He was about to reach out and put a little hand to her nose when she whinnied loudly and ran off. Link felt more than a little put out, especially with Malon standing beside him and sighing.

"And I thought she almost liked you there for a moment… it's hard to get Epona to like anyone. I suppose you could sing the song I was humming earlier to get her to come to you… she wouldn't be so afraid then." She stared at him for a moment and then smiled. "Say, do you sing?" Link frowned. He could sing, a little bit, but he preferred to sing when he was alone…

"Well, not really, but… I have this." He pulled out the Fairy Ocarina.

"Oh!" Malon cried happily, clasping her hands, "That'll work just fine. Let's sing together shall we?" Malon began to hum three gentle notes that were the beginning of the melody she'd been singing earlier. Link repeated them, and the two children stood in the middle of the field playing and singing the sweet little tune. _Epona's Song_… that's what it would be called, Link decided.

Suddenly, after playing the song, the little horse wouldn't seem to leave Link alone.

"Hey!" Link cried, "That's my hat!" Malon giggled as Link hastily took his hat away from Epona, who had been trying to eat it. Link stuffed the Ocarina back in the hat while he gently shoved the horse away. "Okay, okay now… stop pestering me. A little while ago you didn't even _like _me!"

Epona nickered softly and began butting her head against his right side gently over and over with not much force.

_What is it with me and attracting weird animals?_ Link thought.

He would have continued along that train of thought for a while, but he could hear the sound of a door closing across the corral. Malon looked up with him and Link followed the direction of the sound and found it to be Malon's brother Romani closing the door at the far end of the corral. He appeared to be placing a fairly large bale of hay on a carrier speeder's platform, then starting it up and steering back around towards the corral.

He came through the entrance and headed slowly for the awning on the other side, glancing back at Link for a moment but had to look back around to stop the speeder from crashing.

"Hey c'mon!" Malon said excitedly, "I'll introduce you to Romani! Careful though, he can be a bit difficult sometimes. Don't be angry if he says anything to offend you, okay?" Link nodded, and her smile returned, so she led him over to where Romani was putting hay inside a long trough that was divided into two separate sections for food and water. Some oats lay at the bottom of the food side, but Romani was currently placing some of the hay on top.

He was about Malon's height; with a similar face shape and cerulean blue eyes just like Malon. His nose was a little slimmer, but only just, and was slightly sharper. He had Talon's black hair – cut short in little almost feminine wisps around his shoulders – instead of the red hair Malon had apparently inherited from her mother. He was also wearing boots, and a little ensemble much like the one Malon was wearing, although he had on a set of purple shorts and shirt with white sleeves stitched with little gold and silver designs.

"Hey Romani!" Malon called, "Feeding time?" Romani nodded, a little distracted by Link's presence there. "Yeah. Ingo's still in the stables, mucking out the stalls. Father should be out there with him…" He frowned, but kept laying on the hay. Link noticed that there was a second speeder and the other side, presumably Ingo's or even Talon's, though he was pretty sure it belonged to this Ingo person.

Romani looked up at Link as he was surveying the other speeder.

"I wouldn't touch that," he warned the other boy, "Ingo doesn't like it when anyone touches his speeder." Link stepped away from it even though he hadn't had any intention of touching it.

"I really prefer horses than – oomph!" Link turned around and scowled at the little red horse. "Really, now… stop that!" He turned back around and sighed as Epona continued to nudge him gently. Romani seemed surprised and even a little amused. A wry grin ghosted the edges of his lips. "You like horses, huh?" Link folded his arms and glared at Epona. "Except this one… she didn't even like me just a moment ago, and now she keeps doing _this_…"

Romani laughed. "Well, that's all right. She's not supposed to leave the corral until she's big enough to hold a person, so once you leave the corral she'll stop bothering you." Link seemed to relax a little, though Epona kept on butting her head against his side.

"So… I'm Romani. I'm assuming you already know my twin, but… what's your name?" It was only then that Romani noticed the little fairy floating around the boy's head. He blinked, wanting to ask about it, but bit his tongue so the boy could answer his first question. "My name is Link," said the boy, smiling. "It's nice to meet you Romani." Romani nodded and returned the smile. "So… you have a fairy huh? Rare, that is… for a fairy to follow someone around. Are you from the forest?" Link nodded.

"Ah, that explains it." Romani finished putting in the rest of the hay.

"Say, would you like something to eat? Malon and I haven't had lunch yet and since you're here you might as well, you know?" Link grinned. "I'd love to!" He paused then added, "But only if you're sure… I wouldn't want to…" then Link looked down as his stomach growled loudly. It had been a while since he'd eaten those rolls in the castle gardens…

Malon laughed. "Yeah, we're pretty sure!"

As they walked to the house and into the kitchen upstairs, Romani and Link talked.

"So how did you meet my sister?" Romani asked carefully. This boy called Link wasn't someone he knew well and wanted to make sure was all right. He carried a sword for Din's sake!

"I met her in the Market yesterday. I was passing through to find someone and while I was standing and looking at the fountain she sort of snuck up on me… scared me silly was what she did…" Romani chuckled. "She has a habit of doing that. Ingo told her to stop, but… she doesn't really listen well. At least, not when she doesn't feel threatened. So you didn't hurt her or anything did you?" Link frowned, but it was Navi who answered.

"Of course not! Why would you think that?" Romani seemed a little surprised the fairy could speak. The white ball of light had diffused significantly into a little flying girl. She frowned and waved an accusatory finger at him as she spoke, her blue eyes icy and severe.

Romani blinked but managed to gather his voice and stammer, "I meant no harm, Little Fairy–" "–my name is _Navi_, thank you," Navi interrupted. Link frowned again, sighing in exasperation. "Navi! Stop that!" He sighed and turned to Romani, flashing a sympathetic smile. "I'm terribly sorry… she does this to anyone who talks down to me or anything like that. What were you going to say before?"

Again, Romani was taken aback. The boy seemed to be very polite and had even scolded his own guardian fairy to… what? Protect him? Well, maybe from her sharp tongue. She seemed a little hotheaded for a fairy, but he didn't really know any others… well, he was grateful nonetheless.

"I meant that I was going to ask you about that sword… I'm sorry, but Malon's my sister and sometimes I worry about her. You know how that is." Link nodded, glancing in Navi's direction.

"Something like that, yes. Anyway, I only carry this sword because I've been traveling lately and I've been having to walk across the fields to get to my destinations, so there's a very good chance I might get caught out in the fields at night… you know about the creatures that roam, don't you? I just want to be able to defend myself, you see."

Romani nodded. "Oh. I see… yes, I wouldn't want to get caught by them either. I hope I haven't offended you?" Link shook his head. "No, not really. Navi, though, has a bit of a bruise on her pride, I'm sure." The aforementioned fairy was unusually silent. Link chuckled.

"Well, I hope you enjoy your meal… are you setting off afterwards?"

Link nodded. "Yes. I'm headed for Kakariko after this, because the person I was looking for at market told me she needed me to find something for her in Kakariko."

"That's easily a two hours' walk from here, three if you're inclined to drag your feet or walk at a leisurely pace… I hope you make it. Of course, this is the time of year where the days grow long and the time sundown becomes later and later into the day… you should make it there by about three or four o'clock easily, if you left just after one."

Link thanked Romani for the information and they went inside where Malon had gone ahead and cooked them a nice warm meal. Later, before Link was about to depart from the ranch Malon stopped him to give him a few things.

"Romani told me you've been traveling, so I thought I might give you a bottle of water and some dry foodstuffs that should keep for a while. They'll last if you ration them, so don't go scarfing them down now, you hear?" Link took the little pack and thanked her with a smile. "Of course. Means a lot to me."

Link left the ranch in the direction of the village.

.oOo.

"So, what happened in the ranch with Romani?" Link asked Navi as they crossed the little bridge, which told them they weren't far from Kakariko.

Navi sighed sadly. "I don't know… I just kind of got tired of him pestering you and giving you those shifty looks." Link held her in his left hand and looked down at her and smiled. "Oh, Navi… he was all right once I explained things to him. You don't need to come rushing to my rescue when someone doesn't like me. I don't think any single thing can be liked by _everyone_… someone's bound to dislike something in one way or another…"

Navi nodded her head from side to side. "Oh, all right… I'll try to keep my mouth shut whenever I want to say something like that… but!" Here, she held up a tiny pale finger. "I might not always be able to stop myself!" Link laughed. "Okay, I think I can make a few exceptions…"

Suddenly Link stopped himself. Navi gave him a confused look. "What?"

Link frowned, a little perplexed, then he gasped. "I forgot! I promised Makar I'd go back to see him!" Navi fluttered back into the air. "Oh, that's right!" She looked up at the sun. "Do you think you can make it?" Link grinned. "Oh, I can be there in half the time if I run! Don't fall behind now!"

And he went back to cross the bridge again in the direction of the forest.

.oOo.

Link panted heavily as he crossed the threshold back into the forest. Fado was walking out of his house just as Link entered and waved to him.

"Hey Link! Back so soon?" He sounded hopeful. Link shook his head. "I came to see Makar. Do you know where he is?" Fado frowned. "I think Makar went to visit the temple ruins in the Lost Woods. You know the place, don't you?" Link nodded. "All right. Thanks, Fado!"

"No problem!" Fado called back as Link ran off in the direction of the woods.

Link wasted no time once he got to the Lost Woods. Something spurned his legs to move with all haste as he listened for the music he could hear Makar playing even from such a faraway distance. So he made a right at the first junction and ignored the two Skull Kids playing happily on their stumps. Then he went left.

At the next fork, the owl was waiting for him. It greeted him, and Link returned the greeting, but he held up a hand. "I'm kind of in a hurry… do you think you could tell me the fastest way to the Sacred Meadow?" The owl nodded. "Of course! Just listen for whichever direction the music is the loudest! That'll lead you right to him! Well then, see you around!"

Then he flew off again, his wide feathery wings carrying him away.

After that it was a simple matter of listening for the sound, and Link's ears were keen. He took the right path, which led to a small pond, but he hadn't the time to stop. The sweet music flared on the left again and he turned, entering a section with no discernable landmarks. He frowned, listening for the direction the music was loudest. It seemed to be straight ahead, and then continued left on instinct, only happening to be right. Link stopped for a moment, having confused himself with so much running around. It was only when he calmed down a bit was he able to pinpoint the sound.

Left. It was coming from the left, so very clear and bright. He grinned when he found himself standing before the Sacred Forest Meadow.

…only to have that grin wiped from his face as a Wolfos attacked him!

It was large and moved faster than he did, actually getting in several long, thin gashes and a small nip on his right leg. But after a few moments concentration Link acted upon instinct and jumped at it with his sword, cutting it in two and watching it burn within the blue fire the erupted to decompose the body. He stopped to take a swig of the milk and felt right as rain again.

The gates leading into the meadow fell, and Link stepped inside. There were many Deku Scrubs here in the meadow, except these were finicky ones that refused to leave you alone whether you hit them with their own nuts or yours. So Link just ran past them as he navigated the maze, only destroying the two that barred the last stretch of ground that lead into the clearing and the forest temple ruins.

And there he was… Makar. He sat on a small stump, playing a little brown ocarina, the gentle wind ruffling his short green curls. Makar's eyes had been closed, but they opened once he heard Link's footsteps coming his way.

"Hey, Link." Makar greeted his friend gently. "I've been waiting for you."

He looked around at the meadow with a faraway glance. "You know what I feel, Link? I feel that this will be a very important place for the both of us someday… yes, that's right." He shook his head. "But you know what? When you play the Ocarina here, you can sometimes talk to the spirits of the forest." Link seemed surprised. "Really? I didn't know that…"

Makar smiled serenely. "Would you like to give it a try? Play the Ocarina with me." Link shrugged. It wouldn't hurt to play a little song, since he'd come all this way. "Sure, Makar." Makar nodded, his wide blue eyes sparkling. "All right. I'll begin, you follow after me. Okay?" Link nodded.

Makar began to play a series of rapid notes and Link followed along with a short round after the first play through. The two played the tune until the forest seemed to come alive around them, leaves dancing and prancing through the trees and the grasses swaying in time with the melody. Link looked around as they finished, amazed at the song's mysterious power.

Link turned to Makar as the forest returned back to its original state of inert silence. "What was that?" Makar grinned. "The power of Saria's Song. It's been a part of this forest for thousands of years… promise me you won't forget this song!" Link nodded slowly. "Of course, Makar. I won't forget it."

Makar sat back, closing his eyes again.

"Good… and whenever you want to hear my voice… play that song again."

Then Makar put the little brown Ocarina to his lips and resumed his playing, the music stirring up the forest again. Link said goodbye to Makar and left, headed back for his original destination: Kakariko Village.

.oOo.

Link looked up again as he and Navi bolted across the bridge a second time, and smiled when he spotted the stone steps only a few lengths away. "Here we are, Navi!" He released her from his hand and he ran up the steps carved into the cliffside, the little fairy flying after him. When he finally got to the top, he breathed a sigh of contentment.

"Finally… Kakariko Village."

The village that sprawled before them was wide and had various stairwells and ramps for energy powered vehicles like speeders that floated as they moved. There was an exit and entrance for speeders and horses somewhere on the other side of the village, since the main trailhead was for on foot travelers only. The buildings were sturdy white brick with different colored roofs that shone in the bright sunlight. Many people walked or rode their modes of transportation slowly through the central thoroughfare as they went about their business, including workers that were busy constructing a large brick red building and milling among the general populace.

It wasn't quite the wonder that Castle Town had been, but it was still pretty new to Link. Guards like the ones that patrolled the castle gardens stood at many outposts around the village to keep watch. Cuccos wandered the streets underfoot… it was all very nice. Link walked through the town without much purpose, observing the water in the well, the way the huge windmill loomed over everything… then Link heard a woman scream. Link ran towards the sound, thinking maybe someone was in trouble.

The source of the scream appeared to be a tall, thin redheaded woman with short hair cut in wispy curls and wearing long aqua blue skirt, black slippers, and a white blouse covered by a green vest.

"What should I do?" The woman gasped, "My Cuccos have all run away!"

Link padded up behind the woman slowly. "Excuse me, ma'am, but… can I help you?" The woman turned around and spotted Link, putting a hand to her chest. "Oh, yes… I think you can! My name is Anju; I'm Lady Impa's housekeeper. What's your name?" she finished expectantly. "I'm Link," he said shortly, "what is it you need help with?"

Anju turned to the vacant pen beside her.

"There are six Cuccos that belong in this pen here, but… they all flew off during the night because the workers have been bothering them so much. Poor things haven't been able to get much sleep… I would go look for them myself, but I'm allergic to the fibers in their feathers so I can't pick them up even if I found them… would you go look for them please?"

Link thought it over… maybe he could ask her about getting up to Death Mountain when he'd finished the job. "Okay, sure!"

Most of the Cuccos he was looking for were in obvious places. Three of them were just sort of wandering around town on the ground. One Cucco had accidentally gotten itself trapped inside a box, another stuck on a ledge, and the final one behind a large fence Link couldn't climb (the spaces between the thin wooden boards were too small for even his little fingers). To get it, he had to resort to using one Cucco and climbing up to the ground on level with the windmill's front entrance, and holding onto it as he sailed over the fence top.

But he did get all of the woman's Cuccos back to her.

"Thank you so much for finding my Cuccos, Link! Is there anything I can give you in return for this service you've done me?" Link looked up at the mountain that overlooked the village.

"I was wondering if you could tell me how I can get up to see the Gorons up in the mountains. There's something there that a friend asked me to get for them." Anju straightened and looked up at Death Mountain as well. "Well, the only way up to the mountain is through the Death Mountain Trail, but you need the guard's permission to get up there. You do have permission, don't you?" Link nodded. "I have a letter… and something else if he doesn't believe the letter's contents." Anju folded her arms.

"You'll also need a Hylian shield… that wooden shield of yours will burn right up, you know. Death Mountain _is_ still an active volcano." Link frowned up at her. "Well, where can I get one?" Anju's perfect red eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "I think there are a few buried in the graveyard, but digging around in graves isn't a very good idea. You might stir up a few spirits that are best left unstirred. You can also buy a shield in the Bazaar at Castle Town, but they're awfully expensive…" She thought for a moment, then she gasped held up a finger in exclamation.

"Wait! I know where one is! Just wait here a moment!"

Anju hurried off into the house beside the Cucco pen. When she came out, she was carrying a large silver and blue shield emblazoned with a bright yellow Triforce and a scarlet phoenix.

"Here's one… it used to belong to my brother, but he can't fight since the tendons in his sword arm don't work quite right anymore. Why don't you have it? Let's try it on, now." Link removed his Deku Shield and Anju knelt to help attach the Hylian Shield onto the Kokiri Sword's scabbard.

When it was done she stood up and looked him over, smiling a little behind a hand she had raised to her mouth.

"Well… it's a little big, but… it _will_ work." She said, giggling a bit.

The Hylian Shield was so big that Link couldn't use it like he used the Deku Shield. If Link tilted his head back far enough it brushed the tip of the steel casing. While yes, it was almost bigger than he was, it didn't seem a whole lot heavier than the Deku Shield and it didn't prevent him from running any differently than before. Link thanked Anju for the shield.

"Thank you very much, Miss Anju. So the outpost is that way?"

Anju nodded to where Link was pointing at the gated entrance to the Death Mountain Trail. "Yes, that's it. Don't forget to show him that letter!"

"I won't!" Link shouted back at her as he ran off towards the outpost.

When he arrived, only one guard was standing next to the gate and whistling a little tune to himself. Link rolled his eyes. Really, they needed to employ better men than this, otherwise how would anything ever get done? He cleared his throat as he walked up to the guard.

"Excuse me sir, but I need to get past the gate."

The guard looked up, finally noticing Link. Beneath the rim of his helmet, sharp eyes, framed by dark brown hair, narrowed at the boy's approach. "Sorry, but the road is closed beyond this point! Can't you read the sign over there?" He paused, looking over the boy, and shaking his head. "Oh, I see. You're just a kid so you can't even read yet!"

Link narrowed his eyes. "I can, actually. Speaking of which, if you won't let me pass on my own word, I have this for _you_ to read." He handed the guard the letter he had placed in one of his tunic's front pockets. "Read that and we'll see who can read then." Link folded his arms as the guard took the letter and opened it, scanning its contents. After a moment or so the guard spluttered, then squinted at the writing, shaking his head.

"This is surely the Princess Zelda's handwriting! How do you…?" He shook his head again as he continued reading, now muttering the letter's contents aloud to himself.

"This is Link. He is under my orders to save Hyrule…" The guard scoffed and glanced at Link over the top of the paper. "Yeah… right. What kind of bizarre game has our Princess come up with now?" He shook his head. "Regardless, I still can't let you pass. How do I know this letter isn't actually a forgery? You don't even know the song!" Link frowned again and pulled out his Ocarina.

"If you still don't believe me, I can play the song for you." Link declared.

The guard's mouth fell open in shock, which he promptly wiped off his face and rearranged into a solemn stare. "Out with it then." Link smiled and pressed the instrument to his lips. He played Zelda's Lullaby for the man, who blinked down at Link with a surprised look on his face.

"Impossible… you even know the song…" The guard shook his head. "I better not get fired for this… goddesses, I really need this job…" Link smiled up at the man. "You won't lose your job. Really!" The man looked down at him with tired eyes and a wan smile. "Heh, maybe you're right. Well, I suppose you're good to go through… why you've even got a Hylian shield for the trip up there. Just be careful, okay kid?" Link nodded.

"I will, but call me Link, please." The man nodded and tapped the end of his spear once so the gate would open. Before Link went in, he stopped and looked up. "Say, sir? What's your name?" The man blinked. "My name?" He waited a moment and shrugged. "Komali. Now go on… Link." The two shared a smile before Link ran off and disappeared down the road.

As he went, several four legged jumping bug creatures (things that Navi called Tektites) littered the trail, but they were slow and their jumps were often misaligned so Link simply ran past them through the mini canyon. A huge boulder blocked the left-hand path so Link decided to head up the path to the right. Beyond was another left-hand path that several smaller boulders blocked access to, so again Link was forced to walk past it to the right. He also passed a few rocks that groaned a little as he passed them.

"What are those?" he asked Navi quietly. "I think those are what Zelda's attendant referred to as Gorons. They're actually living beings with a certifiable amount of intelligence and resistance to heat. That's why they can live in places like this… though they have a certain aversion to water."

Link hummed quietly as he walked past a little platform with a circle of rocks placed on it and into the Goron City.

He found himself to be standing on the third level of a large, circular, three-tiered city dug into the mountain. Several curled Gorons groaned all about the city, including one sitting beside the entrance. Link walked over to the Goron and tapped a finger gently across the back of its rough skin. The Goron yawned and uncurled itself, standing to face him.

"Excuse me, but what's wrong with everyone?" Link asked the Goron.

"Oh, well… it's cause everyone – including me I must add – is so hungry, goro. Everyone feels faint because of the food shortage in our city. We are in danger of extinction!" The Goron sighed. "It's all because we can't enter our quarry, the Dodongo's Cavern. We Gorons live on a diet of rocks and the most delicious and nutritious rocks around are found in Dodongo's Cavern! But that seems like ancient history now…"

Link frowned. "Is that the place I saw on my way here that was blocked by that huge boulder?" The Goron nodded. "Yes it is, goro."

"So why can't you just eat away the boulder if you live on a diet of rocks?"

The Goron frowned. "Well, you see, goro… we've become such gourmets that we can't stand to eat rocks from anywhere else!" He shook his head. "I want to eat the top sirloin rocks from Dodongo's Cavern!" Link nodded. "Maybe I can help? I was told by the Princess's attendant that you Gorons had a special stone called the Spiritual Stone of Fire, and that I needed to get it in order to prevent a lot of bad things from happening. Perhaps I could help you get inside the cavern if you gave me the Stone in return."

The Goron shrugged. "Not my department, goro. But you can talk to our leader Darunia about that, since he's the one who took the Stone from its special place above our city." He pointed to the suspended platform in the center of the city. "Darunia's room is on the bottommost tier… but he's locked it tight." Link shrugged. "I'll find a way in. Thank you for the telling me everything!" The Goron nodded and curled back up as he left the find his way down to the bottommost tier.

Once Link finally found a way to the bottom he came across a rug that was laid before a marked door. It was stitched with little red Triforce symbols on the sides. Link looked to Navi. "Should I play Zelda's Lullaby?" Navi shrugged. "Give it a try. We won't be moving that door on our own strength anytime soon…" Link nodded and pulled out the Fairy Ocarina.

He played a single round of the gentle melody and waited for something to happen. Something of course actually did happen, that something being the stone door sliding against the stone as it opened upwards by a faint force of magic and Link entered it, walking down the short passageway to Darunia.

Darunia was much larger than the other Gorons. The huge rock-eating creature's face, framed by wild tufts of bristling hair, loomed over Link's tiny frame as he walked in the room, and glared down at him.

"What the heck? Who are you?" Darunia bellowed. Link nearly took a step back, but he refrained from doing so. "When I heard the song of the Royal Family, I had expected their messenger to arrive… but you're just a little kid!" Link frowned, resisting the urge to fold his arms and stamp his foot like the kid Darunia had accused him of being. "But sir, I _am_ their messenger."

"Yeah!" Trilled Navi brightly, "He _is_ their messenger, you bully!"

Link gasped and then paled slightly. "Navi, please! I asked you to stop that…"

Navi froze, and her wings drooped a little as she fluttered. "Oops… sorry."

Darunia scoffed darkly. "Heh. Has Darunia, the big boss of the Gorons, really lost so much status to be treated like this by his Sworn Brother, the King?" He snarled. "Now I'm _really_ angry! Get out of my face, now!" Navi jumped.

"Huh! Well, aren't you grumpy? Link, play that song Makar taught you. Maybe it'll snap some sense into this guy!" Link raised an eyebrow, but thought it couldn't hurt. Maybe this Darunia just needed to let off some steam.

So his lifted the Fairy Ocarina to his lips and began to play.

As Link played, Darunia began to dance. It was a wild, crazy dance that Link couldn't fathom where the creature drug it up from… some basic impulse to move and vent, he guessed. He edged away from the dancing Goron as he played through the bridge.

"Oh! Oh… oh! Hot! What a hot beat! Whoa! Yeeeaaah! Yahooo!"

Once Link had finally finished the coda and pulled the ocarina from his lips, the Goron leader stood back and laughed, long and hard. Link edged back to stand in front of him, raising an eyebrow and wondering idly if the song had gone and turned the creature moonstruck.

"Ahh!" Darunia sighed contentedly, "Just like that, my depression is all gone! Something just came over me! I suddenly wanted to dance like crazy!"

_Crazy… yeah. Sure, _Link thought to himself.

"Well, now… I'm sorry I snapped at you the way I did. I meant no harm. Indeed, you must be the Royal Family's messenger, or you would not have been able to enter my chambers! Was there something you wanted to ask me about?" Link nodded. "I was sent here by Princess Zelda to obtain the Spiritual Stone of Fire. That's what I came to ask you about."

Darunia leaned back on his heels and grumbled. "That Princess… doesn't she know that the Spiritual Stone of Fire, also known as the Goron's Ruby, is our race's hidden and most precious treasure?" Link nodded again. "I am sure she does, but you can't argue with her… trust me, I tried. She wants me to obtain the Spiritual Stones. I already have the Emerald." Darunia stood up straighter.

"The Great Deku Tree gave you the Emerald?"

Link looked at the ground, his face somber. "With his dying breath he did…"

Darunia folded his arms. "I see…" Link looked back up. "And I'm from the forest. I know that the Emerald is something that is precious to the Kokiri. So, by association, I can guess at how precious it is to you. But the Princess gave me an order, and her attendant stressed to me that we're short on time. If you still won't give it to me then, tell me what I need to do to prove myself to you. I really need that Stone, Darunia sir."

Darunia stroked his chin and looked the boy over. The green of his tunic… he should have guessed he was from the forest. Maybe this was… but no. It couldn't be. Still, the boy had a point. Darunia could fully agree that his worth needed to be proven. Darunia uncrossed his arms.

"Yes, I agree. A show of strength is in order. If you destroy the monsters in Dodongo's Cavern for us, then I will give you the Stone." Darunia thought for a moment and then turned around, picking something up and holding it out to Link. It flashed gold in the light. "You'll need this. You don't have a Bomb Bag, so you'll have to use the Bomb Flowers littered throughout the cave. They're really heavy, so you'll need this to be able to pick them up. It's a Goron Bracelet. Go on now, take it!"

Link took the Bracelet and slid it on his left wrist.

"There you go. I'm assuming you saw the rock that's blocking the cavern as you came in, yes?" Link nodded. "I did. How do I get rid of it?" Darunia jerked his head in an upward motion. "As you exit the City, there's a little area to your right. There should be a Bomb Flower there you can use to clear the boulder. Good luck, kid."

Link turned to leave, but then Darunia stopped him. "Wait, hold on! What's your name, kid? I didn't quite catch it…" Link smiled. "I never said." Darunia huffed. "Well go on, then!" Link's smiled turned into a grin. "It's Link, sir."

And then he scampered off towards the exit of the Goron's City.

* * *

><p>Is it just me, or are these things getting longer? Ah… ouch. My fingers are hurting… mmm.<p>

Well, my hurting fingers aside, this was murder… ugh! I kept getting stuck beside there's so much to do! I pretty much forgot about getting Saria's Song up until Link was almost entering the Goron City so then I had to go back and write about that, because I don't think that Link is quite that good of a speech-maker. (Navi seems to be, though. A little rough around the edges perhaps…)

Oh, and Romani's appearance is based on Kafei from Majora's Mask, excepting his black hair and blue eyes. I'm itching to draw so many of the characters now so I can color them and upload them to deviantART… link's on my page if you want to check out some of my stuff.

Feels good to finally finish this… man, proofreading this is going to be a pain… twenty four pages… you should see the word count.

So anyway, if you have favorited this story or put it on story alert, I would very much like you to put in your two cents. And those who are just discovering this story, as well. If you know of anyone interested in this kind of fanfic (Star Wars/Zelda crossover) please tell them about it, and tell them to REVIEW! Reviews make me happy. Thank you. :D


	6. Dodongo's Cavern

Chapter Six: Dodongo's Cavern

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><p>Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force<p>

Chapter: 6

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: You know, if I were a Sheikah… _maybe_ I could get past all the security and sneak into the patent office so I could sneakily sneak out the rights to both Zelda and Star Wars, but… regrettably I am lacking in any incredible Sheikah ninja powers (or any amazing Jedi Force powers for that matter) so I own nothing, except my plot.

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

Sheesh, I had to practically pry myself from my sketchpad… I've been drawing character profiles for this fanfic this past week and I'm still not done… well, I promised you guys one chapter a week during summer so here it is. I swear I'm going finish this before I go to choir camp even if it turns out to be longer than the last one! (Though it's only the cavern, so it shouldn't take terribly long.)

All right, quit reading my useless ramble and go read the actual story. :)

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><p>After exiting Goron City and heading right as Darunia had instructed, Link came across a ledge overlooking the huge boulder blocking the entrance to the cavern. Another Goron sat sleeping off the left of the Bomb Flower that sat on the edge in a patch of soft sunlight.<p>

Bomb Flowers were pretty much exactly what their name said they were: little round black bombs rooted into the ground with four or five spiny flame colored petals springing from their top.

In short, they brought a whole new meaning to the phrase 'flower power'.

Link found out the hard way that as soon as you pulled the Bomb Flower from its roots, the thing immediately began a short-fuse countdown and you had to decide where to put it and when. The first time Link pulled up the flower he almost didn't know what he was supposed to do with it, until Navi yelled at him to chuck it and it soared behind him in a sparking, smoking trail of fire and dirt. Link made a mental note to plan out where he was going to put one of the flowers before he pulled it from the ground.

His second go-round had the desired effect: Link picked up the newly regrown flower (they grew back amazingly fast) and tossed it straight over the edge. It landed, perching precariously on top of the rock, and sat there for a moment before promptly blowing up the rock into millions of tiny pieces.

Link looked over the side of the fence that lined the ledge and whistled.

"Wow, that really looks like it…" "…hurts," Navi finished. They shared a clearly unnerved glance and turned around in the opposite direction to reach the now accessible Dodongo's Cavern.

After climbing down the gentle slopes towards the entrance, Link trotted inside, looking around. The entrance room was rather small and sort of homey. "What's this?" Link asked, gesturing to the room. "There's only pots and dirt in here! I thought this was supposed to be a cavern." There also happened to be a curious amount of torchlight as well, since the place did not appear to be lit in the same way the inside of the Deku Tree had been.

Navi, in her human form, pointed towards a thick rock wall opposite the entrance.

"I think you need to blow that up. Use one of the Bomb Flowers to clear away the dirt." Link picked up one of the nearby flowers and chucked it in the direction of the rock wall. After a few moments the Bomb Flower began to swell into a bright reddish color and blew away the dirt. Once it cleared, Link padded in the direction of the door and he gasped when he saw the true inside of Dodongo's Cavern.

The actual inside of Dodongo's Cavern was huge, the actual length and width of the room nearly rivaling the size of the main plaza in Castle Town. Strange colored pillars held up the ledges of a second level high above that Link assumed could be accessed at different points in the cavern. A pillar in the center of the room stood in front of the face of a huge dead Dodongo, surrounded by three little moving pillars that could be used to access either side of the first level of the room. Finally, the room was not only illuminated by the harsh fiery torchlight from several torches that were bolted to the walls, but by the large pool of glowing lava that oozed below ground level.

"Ugh… I don't think I have to tell you twice not to fall into that?" Navi groaned, more than a little disgusted. Link shook his head, inching away from the edge, his expression blanching slightly. "No, no you don't."

Link glanced around the room and spotted the tall, whirling thing in the center platform.

"Navi? What's that?" Navi squinted. She floated up to it, and watched the thing's head spin around until the eye fixed on her floating form. She squeaked and beat her wings in an erratic scramble for safety as it shot a beam of bright blue light after her, the light scorching the floor where it touched. Navi lay across Link's shoulder, breathing heavily.

"That," she spat breathily, "would be a Beamos. It shoots beams of white light to scorch any that approach. While not necessarily living, it's smart, so get away from it as fast as you can or destroy it." She ran a hand through her tousled curls out of habit.

"Although since you don't have any bombs of your own I would just suggest running. Using Bomb Flowers would be effective, though redundant, since the thing will respawn every time you enter or exit another room…"

Link raised his pale blond eyebrows in apprehension. "Okay, so… left or right?" Navi smiled. "Now that I can answer. Try the right side of the room: maybe there will be less chances to stumble into danger there." Link scoffed and laughed softly. "Navi, danger is everywhere. Get used to it."

Navi pouted and put her tiny hands on her hips.

"Okay, fine. But if you ask me to fly up to one of those things again, I swear I'll put pepper spice in your bread or something." Link smiled and quickly jumped across the platforms before the Beamos could blink.

There were three different entrances on the right side, two of which were sealed and one too high for Link to reach. Link bombed both sealed areas, revealing one of those peculiar stones, and another pathway (and a Beamos that had sort of hidden itself in a patch of shadow). Inside contained a jagged dirt hallway with little baby Dodongos burrowing up and out of the soil to chase and attack Link.

Link climbed up on a higher section at the end of the hallway and blew a raspberry at the creatures in triumph. "Can't get me up here!" he muttered, grinning. Then he turned around to take in a raised platform and a door, flanked by two statues and a blue pressure switch.

"Hey, that one's a different color," Link pointed out, "Does it need anything special to press it down?" Navi studied it and nodded. "Yeah… this one needs constant pressure if you're going to keep that door open." She flicked her head at one of the stone statues. "One of those might work." So Link pushed a statue onto the switch, and the bars in front of the door lifted. Link stared at the door and wondered if it was the kind of door that needed to be told to move. After a moment, he found the little magic that stirred deep inside and willed the door open. He smiled as he walked though to the hallway beyond.

Two Keese hung on torches that were bolted on either side of the hallway. Link him them with his slingshot and crossed into the next room.

"Ugh! Wow, it's really hot in here!"

The room was full of lava pits that fumed with gases and heat. Six platforms surrounded a pillar in the middle of the room. Everything was coated in a reddish orange glow that burned fiercely in Link's eyes.

And then there were the freaky lizard things… the _loud_ freaky lizard things.

"For the love of Deku Nuts!" cursed Navi as one of the things came closer, "Can't we fight a quiet enemy for once?" Link was about to scoff at Navi's comment, but had to duck to avoid being hit by its sharp daggers. "I don't think it matters Navi… ouch!" He'd gotten in a few slashes against the lizard's pale green chest, which now oozed glittering rivulets of yellow-green blood, but was rewarded with a long slash against his own chest as the thing leaped away and its friend came bounding towards him.

He made sure to duck at the appropriate times with this one, and managed to slice its head off in one go as it tried to leap away. The head bounced and rolled across the platform, finally rolling over into the lava with a loud plopping sound and a slight spewing, gooey burst of lava as it fell in. Link ran after the other one, hopping across the platforms until he caught up with it, and proceeded to finish it off in the same way.

The body fell to the floor and disintegrated with a soft hiss, and the two doors in the room unlocked with the swish of sliding metal. Link blinked; he hadn't even noticed they'd been locked.

"So, uh… which door did we come through again?" Link asked, turning around to look between the doors. Navi scratched her head.

"Um… that one?" she pointed to the one on Link's left. Link shrugged and turned to the door on his right. "Only one way to find out, right?" Navi nodded and then stopped, her wings spluttering mid-flight. "Link, you're bleeding. That cut looks pretty nasty." Link looked down at his chest where the lizard thing had slashed him. He frowned only now realizing the wound was starting to sting in the heat of the room, and so he dug through his hat until he found the milk. There was only about an inch left in the bottle.

"There's not much left…" Link muttered, wincing slightly as he tipped his head back to chug it down. "Maybe I should go back to the ranch after this and get some more milk from Talon." Navi folded her arms, her features twisted into a scowl. "Actually, I'd think one of the potions from Castle Town would be better. They'll help you heal faster."

Link put the empty bottle back in his hat. The wound had closed up now, but there hadn't been enough to heal it completely, so it ridged up slightly on his skin. His tunic was still torn through and was stained red with his blood.

"Say, what were those things? They were pretty dirty fighters…" The two began to walk towards the door opposite the one they'd entered.

"I think they're called Lizafols. Pretty nasty fighters indeed, especially the armored ones. I don't think we'll find any here, though." Link smiled grimly. "If we do, I'll stick you in my hat with the Cucco."

"What?" Link chuckled. "Never mind."

The door opened, and the hallway they stepped into was dark and tinted with blue-green coloring. Torchlight glimmered from further down the passage, and large creatures lumbered in the shadows. Link frowned, touching the torn spot on his tunic.

"What are those things down the hall?" he asked quietly. Navi squinted into the dim light. "Those would be Dodongos… I think." Link's eyebrows rose. "_Those_ are Dodongos? Sheesh…"

The Dodongos happened to be large lizard things with a long, heavy body and tail, a large head, and two sturdy, trunk-like legs.

"Anything I should know about before I try and slay them or anything?" Navi frowned, and thought for a moment, scratching her scalp with a tiny slender finger. "They breathe fire… and when you slash their tails they can whirl on you pretty fast… but they're otherwise slow and stupid. Cut their tails enough times and they'll die… but they blow up after they die so watch out!"

Link rolled his eyes. "That's nice to know." Navi gave him a look.

"Well you asked…"

Link explored the room by sneaking through the shadows and avoiding the sight of the Dodongos. It turned out that there was a locked door at the end of the hallway, and there were three unlit torches set between the rocky pillars that held up the ceiling. Link didn't really have to guess what needed to be done, so he dug for one of the Deku Sticks in his hat, lit it at the torch by the door he'd come through, and ran like crazy.

It mostly worked… only one Dodongo saw him. And it missed.

The door unlocked and Link scrambled for it before the Dodongo scrambled him. When it closed, he could see another switch, this one a bright gold like the ones he'd seen in the Deku Tree, and beyond it was the main room of the cavern. He walked up bleary-eyed onto the switch, and it unlocked another door on the side of the room. He blinked at it and then yawned, stretching his sore muscles.

"Wow, what time is it?" Link wondered. "I'm so tired…" Navi flitted close to the Goron Bracelet on his wrist.

"Hey, you can use this to tell the time! Here, turn it around and see!"

Link turned his Goron Bracelet around to a thin black rectangle that displayed a set of red numbers at him. "P.M. is afternoon and nighttime, right?" Navi nodded. The little red numbers on the Goron Bracelet/Watch blinked a flashy '9: 00 P.M.' up at Link.

"It's 9 o'clock already?" Link sighed and his stomach grumbled. "And I haven't even had dinner yet…" Navi fluttered back out into the main part of the cavern. "Hey, remember that Gossip Stone we found? We can sleep there for the night. I don't think that anything will climb up into there and attack us, so we should be safe spending the night in here."

Link nodded, climbing down and following Navi in that direction.

"I just need to eat something first… and, Navi?" Navi turned her head around as she flew in front of him. "Yes, Link?"

"Do you think you can fix this tear in my tunic? I can't go walking around with this tear all through this cavern, and my repair skills are limited at best. I have a kit in my hat, so if you don't mind…" Navi shrugged. "Sure thing, Link. What are friends for?" Link smiled. "Everything."

They sat down at the Gossip Stone (or in Navi's case, sat _on_ the Stone) and Link pulled out the little pack of food Malon had given him, a tiny sewing kit about the size of a pocket book, and the bundle he'd used as a pillow when he'd slept near the crates at the castle. He also stripped off his tunic (leaving him only in his breeches) and handed it to Navi as he rolled out the bundle like a blanket and began to prepare a small dinner for himself.

He chose a little packet of dry noodles that came with a foldable bowl and reusable plastic spoon, and simply had to add just a little of the water Malon had left for him and he instantly had a nice warm meal.

The two chattered softly about what had happened throughout the day, from meeting the Princess to finding Malon and Romani, learning Saria's Song from Makar, and helping out the Cucco Lady, Anju. It was hard to believe they'd done so much in one day. All the while, Link took sips of his soup and Navi slowly repaired the tear in Link's tunic. Once she was done, Link put it back on, finished his soup and put everything back in his hat.

Before he fell asleep on the laid out bundle, he made sure to take his hat off.

.oOo.

The door slammed shut behind Auru and Impa with a loud, resounding bang.

Auru winced. "That went well… again." He muttered sarcastically under his breath. Impa simply folded her arms and shook her head stoically.

"Well, what did you expect him to say? The Desert King just swore loyalty to him today, and looked pretty convincing while doing it. The Princess and I were watching him from her courtyard window." Auru sighed and began to trudge down the hallway's plush red carpet. He glanced at the gold furnishings, the periodic guard postings staring at them as the pair walked by, the little pieces of china and bronze pottery on displays around the corners and he shook his head.

"I still thought I should try. In times like these it's imperative that the sovereignty listen to the High Priest! Do you think that the Desert King poisoned his mind? Perhaps with magic or…" Impa raised a critical eyebrow. "…or more conventional means? It is entirely possible. But even if you were to suggest a taster to him, or root out any possible poisons on your own, it won't do much good. He's not even listening to his own daughter, Auru. Anyway, have you sent out the signal yet?"

Auru ran a thin hand through his black hair. "I did." He frowned. "But none of them have responded. The crystals of the other four representatives are still as black as ever. I did get a flickering from the Forest and Fire sages, but the problem is we have no idea who they are.. the records tell us nothing." He frowned again.

"We really are trapped."

Impa's usual stoic expression flickered slightly with an emotion that Auru couldn't name.

"Perhaps we are… but did you speak with the Jedi about what I asked?" Auru nodded. The two had now reached the same balcony they'd stood on the night before, looking at the lights of the city in the shadow of the castle and the mountains surrounding everything. "I did that too. Trying to be nonchalant about something like that is awfully hard though, especially when that Yoda is so perceptive. But now I can teach her how to use the Force to a certain extent, enough to keep her alive."

"She can't become a Jedi, though? That would help."

Auru shook his head. "She has too much magic in her blood, it'll leave her with a foot in both worlds, and she won't be able to stay true to either one. But if she learns just enough of both, she'll be of better use to the Hero."

Impa's expression returned to its stony gaze with the ghost of a smile twitching on her lips.

"Let's hope so… that girl is our wild card after all. She's all we have left."

.oOo.

Something was tugging at Link's hair… Link frowned in his sleep, muttering and waving at Navi to stop messing with him and to let him sleep a little while longer.

"Uh, Link? That's not me."

Link opened his eyes a little and rolled onto his back. "What? What do mean it's not…?" Then he frowned. Navi was sitting on top of the Gossip Stone, looking down at him with a skeptical look on her face. The something tugged on his hair again, though not painfully mind you. When it stopped, Link rolled over on his stomach and lifted his head.

Link blinked. Then he rubbed his eyes and blinked again. It was still there.

It was a baby dragon. Little tough gray ridges lined under its bright green eyes and two tiny, thick horns sprouted from its head. Yellow tufts of hair grew from between its horns like a mane, and the rest of its tiny sinewy body was covering in glittering red scales.

"Oh, wow…" Link made to pet the creature when Navi shot up. "Wait, Link! It could be dangerous!"

Link looked back at it. "You're not dangerous, are you?" The dragon blinked once, then scratched behind its left horn with one of its tiny hind legs. Link smiled. "It's not that bad, Navi, you're just…"

All of a sudden the dragon paused and sniffed a little. It wobbled away from the rolled out bundle and stiffened. It shook its little scaled head, snorted, and then sneezed, a long tongue of red flame bursting from its mouth. It recoiled backwards with smoke curling from its nostrils.

"Well okay, there's that." Link shrugged and rolled up his bundle. He stuffed it in his hat and pulled out a rolled up piece of flatbread and cheese, which he began munching on. The baby dragon nuzzled gently against his boots like a cat, and even chirped slightly as Link looked down at it. Link scarfed down most of it except for a small piece of bread, which he handed to the dragon. The little red dragon gobbled it up and chirped happily.

"Oh, Link…" Navi sighed, "You seriously fed that thing? Now it's going to be following us all over the cavern!" Link rolled his eyes. "Really, Navi? It might not be such a bad thing." Link held out his arm and clicked his tongue. The baby dragon scampered up onto Link's left shoulder and perched itself there. Navi frowned and Link grinned when he caught her expression.

"You're just jealous cause you're not my only friend anymore. Now stop that... it doesn't suit you."

The little dragon sniffed Navi and she flew closer and it flashed her a toothy smile, nuzzling her tiny frame with the tip of its snout.

"Oh, well… it is kind of cute, I suppose." Link flashed her another grin.

"That's the spirit! Come on, I want out of this place before noon, yeah?" It was only 9 o'clock in the morning now. Link jumped across the platforms and narrowly avoided being seared by the Beamos, jumping over to the left side of the cavern. Again, there were three sections, one with a Deku Sprout that sold him a few more Deku Sticks, a bomb-able wall, and the door they'd unlocked last night. Link bombed the wall with a nearby Bomb Flower and found a large chest inside.

Link flipped the lock and the little dragon ran down his arm and back up again with the contents.

"A map to the cavern? Cool." Link said, looking over the layout. "The compass isn't too far off, either." He looked over at the door. "It's that way." Navi pointed out that the binding around the map was a different color than the map from the Deku Tree. "I think it's so you can tell them apart," she said. "Maybe the Compass will be marked differently as well."

They circled back and entered the door on the right. It opened up into a huge room with a large stone structure that had Bomb Flowers circling all around its base. "Maybe you're supposed to blow them up to progress…" Link observed, "but we should get the Compass first." They turned to the bomb-able wall, which the nearby Bomb Flower took care of quickly.

Inside lay a chest surrounded by more of the ugly looking statues.

"We should be able to move them out of the way, right?" Link asked Navi.

"Yeah, we should… but I've heard stories about statues that come to life as soon as… hey! Come back little dragon!"

Link looked around and then spotted the dragon scampering off towards the statue directly in front of the chest. It swiped its little claws once against the stone, and the eyes of the statue began to glow. It gave chase to the little dragon, which crowed and chirped in delight as the stature followed it.

The two of them blinked. "It's… enjoying this?" Link asked skeptically. Navi shrugged. "I think so… strange little creature. Well, go ahead and get the Compass, Link." Link opened the chest and indeed the compass was inside, marked with a burgundy colored stripe around its circumference.

"Huh. It is marked differently." Link looked up at the dragon. "Hey, c'mon! We're leaving now!" The baby dragon nodded and returned to its perch on Link's shoulder as Link exited the room.

It looked like all they needed to do was put a Bomb Flower between all the other Bomb Flowers and they'd cause a sort of chain reaction. So Link plucked the newly grown flower between the others and stood back to watch the show. First, the Bomb Flowers exploded, one by one on both side until they reached the very end. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen… until the stone structure came crashing down, level by level, until a large set of stone stairs settled in front of him, leaving a path to the second level.

"That was totally wicked!" Navi said, grinning. The baby dragon squealed happily and snapped at the dust bits that lingered.

"Okay, you two. Come on." The second level was more slopes, long pieces of wood leading around to another door on the upper left side of the room. Navi squeaked in fright as Link rounded the wall of webbing that covered a section of air from the edge of the planking to the ceiling. A couple of Skulltulas twitched on its surface.

Link smiled and he felt Navi hide beneath his hat. "Hey, they're not going to hurt you Navi. They don't even care that we're here." Navi poked her head out from under his hat. "I'm sure they care that _I'm_ here…" Link sighed and entered the next room. There was only a single raised platform guarded by more statues and two Fire Keese flying around the room. Link picked them off with his slingshot and moved the only inert statue out of the way of the ladder that let Link access the top of the platform and the switch that unlocked the door.

It turned out – when Link exited the previous room – that they were back in the central part of the cavern; only they now stood on one of the upper ledges. More Fire Keese fluttered around in the air, and Link picked them off as he'd done the others.

"Not very smart, these Keese." Navi hummed in agreement. "None of them are… except the Ice Keese, but we shouldn't see any of those in here."

"If we do, I'm going to–" "–I know, I know. Stuff me in the hat with the stupid Cucco. Yes, thank you, I understand what you mean by that now." Link looked at her as he ran across the bridge between the ledges. "What do you… oh." Navi scowled. "That _thing_ woke up this morning. At _sunrise_. Do you know what time sunrise is?"

"Actually yes, I do," Link deadpanned. Navi looked at him and shook her head. The room on the opposite side of the door held a little maze of tiny spaces and the sound of sliding metal. "I'm guessing we should avoid those sliding spike traps?" Navi nodded. "Be careful where you walk here, and look around the corner before you make a move."

She looked up and spotted a bomb-able wall on the opposite side. A pillar with a little chest and a Bomb Flower was nearby. She pointed these things out to him and he climbed down, avoiding the traps as he made his way through the room. He used a nearby stone block to climb up to the chest (which held a red rupee that the dragon cooed over and was a little disappointed to see disappear into Link's hat) and the Bomb Flower.

"That ledge over there is really tiny… I suppose I could throw it over there so it lands on the ledge, but… that'll take up time, won't it?" Navi nodded. "Looks like you'll just have to hold the bomb until it's just about to blow and then throw it over. Seems like it's the only way." Link scowled at the flower. If it blew him up, he would personally make sure that Darunia was the first person he would haunt as a ghost.

So he picked up the flower and waited until it was hot and pink in his hands.

Then he threw it. The bomb burst, the dirt sprayed (coating Link's tunic with a fine layer of it) and the dragon chirped loudly in some kind of laughter. Link shot a look at the dragon, which only made its chirps rise in pitch and intensity. Link sighed, but he'd gotten the job done. He climbed down his platform and up the ladder into the dark corridor.

Link jogged down the path until he came to a set of platforms, one of which was blocked by a wide ring of flame. On the wall beyond was a golden eye welded into its fittings. Link frowned for a moment, but the little dragon nudged his cheek to get his attention and pointed to the eye with its tail.

"You want me to shoot that?" The dragon nodded.

"Hurr… hurr…" It growled softly in the depths of its throat, trying to form words. "Hey, its okay. I get it… don't hurt yourself now." It raised a red scaly eyebrow and nipped his left ear.

"Hey!" he waved at the dragon. "Don't do that!" Navi giggled. "I'm liking this little dragon more and more, Link!" Link scowled.

"Link!" The dragon chirped.

Link and Navi stopped. "Did it just…?" Navi asked slowly. Link looked at the dragon perched on his shoulder. "Can you… can you repeat that?" The little red dragon grinned.

"Link!" It repeated proudly, puffing up its chest.

Navi shook her head. "I knew some dragons could learn to speak human tongues… I never thought I'd ever meet one." Link stood there for a moment, staring at the red dragon, but then he shrugged. "Well, that's kind of interesting… I wonder what else it can do." He shifted the dragon so he held it in both hands. "Hey, you're a dragon… can you fly?"

Here the creature sighed, and climbed back up Link's left arm to settle on his shoulder.

"Fly…" the red dragon murmured softly.

From the air, Navi could see tender, wing shaped ridges along the baby dragon's back. "I don't think it can fly yet…" she flew around to the dragon's muzzle and put a tiny hand against its face. "But you'll fly pretty soon. I promise." The little dragon grinned and licked Navi's face with its thin pink tongue.

"Fly!" It cooed excitedly. "That's it!" Navi encouraged. "Shoot that eye Link, so we can get out of here!" Link obliged, shooting a Nut straight through the eye and ran across the pathways and down the tunnel beyond.

Link threw open the door and ran straight into another lava filled room. This time the fumes made sweat instantly break out on the surface of Link's skin and it was a squick difficult to breathe. Here, the platforms were square shaped and spaced closer together.

"Hey, I think this is the second level of the room from before!" Navi cried.

Link groaned when a piercing shriek sounded throughout the room. "Well, there are more of those _things_ here…" Link scowled. "I'd better be careful this time so I don't get slashed by one of them again." The little red dragon hissed and climbed down his shoulder, scampering off towards the Lizafols way in the back.

"Hey, come back little dragon!" "Link, look out!"

Link ducked and the nearer Lizafols hit the broadside of the Hylian Shield with its dagger. Link leaned back up and slashed at it with his little sword, nearly missing its chest as he ducked back down.

What was he doing wrong? Maybe the shield was prohibiting some of his usual tactics as he kept ducking back down… he repeated the process with some success, but the battle was slow going. The little dragon, and the other hand, spent its time snarling at the other Lizafols and biting its ankles. The green blood the creature oozed tasted foul in his mouth, and the dragon could sense that the others were in trouble.

It leapt, its lithe, sinewy body flying like a dart through the heat, and it latched its sharp little fangs into the central artery of the creature's thin neck. Blood spewed from it, leaving the little red dragon to spring away, spitting from disgust as the Lizafols disintegrated, and it looked around.

Link fell backwards onto the warm stone platform, turtling frantically from side to side in an effort to return to his feet and block the blow of the Lizafols. But the Hylian Shield was simply too broad; he couldn't roll up in time. Link saw it coming for him, cuts all over the creature dripping with the sickly green stuff, shrieking something horrible. Link screamed.

The little red dragon heard the scream and its head shot up.

It had to get to Link.

"Link!" It cried furiously, "Link!" Again, the dragon pounced, but it felt something slip through the membranes on its back, spreading, stretching, and catching on the air. Suddenly it realized that it wasn't landing on the platform below, but _flying_ over it. The dragon chirped and crowed peals of joy, growling and snarling the fiercest battle cry its tiny throat could muster. The little red dragon gave its little wings an experimental flap, and it rushed off, straight toward the Lizafols.

Knowing it couldn't reach it in time to clamp its jaws into the central artery, the little dragon drew in a breath and blew out the longest stream of fire it had ever breathed. Link scrambled to his feet, not sure what the make of the scene, with the Lizafols screeching and suddenly burning at his feet. Then he saw the baby red dragon flying towards him, chirping intensely.

"Wow, you did that? That was amazing little guy!" The dragon purred happily, nuzzling Link's left cheek. It perched itself on Link's shoulder again, sighing with exhaustion as the Lizafols faded away.

It turned its long neck around and began to lick away the blood and gooey bits of membrane still stuck to the thin, leathery wings. Link groaned.

"Do you really have to do that _on my shoulder_?" The dragon paused and glanced at him with half lidded eyes, flicking its snake-like tongue at him as if to say, 'Why don't you try cleaning this off?' Link decided not to comment as Navi finally regained her composure.

"Well, that was certainly eventful… hey! It's wings came in! I noticed they were close to coming out… I guessed it was only a matter of time. Although I didn't expect it to be quite so…"

"Disgusting?" Link offered. "Messy," Navi finished.

"But you're kind of right about it being a little disgusting…" Link shot her a look. "You're not the one it's cleaning its wings on, so hush. Now… which door is the one we want?" Navi pointed to the door on their right. "That one. I made sure to keep track this time." Link nodded, and they went through. The room was similar to the one they'd gone through to get to the lava room, with fire covered platforms and golden eyes embedded into the walls. There were two here, but Link was pretty handy with the slingshot now and scampered across the platforms into the room beyond.

They were back in the room with the sliding spike traps; Link could see them over to his left, and hear the sharp sound of metal grinding against metal in the air. He stood on a higher level that could be jumped across to another door, and beside the door was a huge chest. Link remembered something the map had said about this room… some unintelligible scribble that hadn't made much sense, but now…

"Hey, I think I know what's in there!" Link jumped across the gap and flipped the lock, reaching inside. The thing that came out in his hands was a huge brown bag… and it was full of bombs.

"It's a Bomb Bag!" Navi observed, "You know, those things are made from the stomachs of Dodongos!" Link paused, and stared at the bag for a moment. Well, it _felt_ like leather, so Link wasn't going to think too much about what exactly the bag was made out of. It was like knowing what was in the food you ate: sometimes you just didn't want to know.

He stuffed the thing into his hat and returned to the main part of the cavern, stepping on a switch that activated a platform that went back down to the first level. There was also a plaque that described how the dead Dodongo's mouth could be opened.

"All you have to do is throw bombs in its eyes?" Link grinned good thing we have our own bombs now!" He scrambled across the bridge and threw two bombs down, one for each eye. The whole Dodongo began to rumble and shake, and the mouth lowered down to the floor on the first level. Link remembered something one of the Deku Sprouts from the inside of the Tree had told him, and he shared a look with the little dragon.

"Hey, want to practice flying some more now that your wings are clean?"

It nodded furiously. "Wait, what?" Navi asked, perplexed, "What are you doing, Link? Hey, Link? Hey, listen!" Link just laughed and jumped straight off the bridge, rolling on the ground to soft his fall. "Come on, Navi!" Navi shook her head and flew after him, rolling her eyes. The little red dragon chirped with draconic laughter. Navi ignored the creature as they progressed. The penultimate room was large and had a hole in the floor that needed to be filled up with a block that Link could just see on a ledge he couldn't access. Navi pointed out another path to the right, which led around to the block, and Link took it, passing through another room (with more annoying Fire Keese) that contained a pot that glowed with a faint pink light.

"Hey, Navi? What's in there?" He pointed to the glowing pot. Navi studied it closely, hovering over it. "I think there's a healing fairy in there… they can save you from death and restore a good portion of your life as well. You have an empty bottle so you should try and catch it. They're the only faeries who don't mind being cooped up in a bottle."

Link gently coaxed the fairy out of the pot and into his empty bottle. He corked it, put it back in his hat, and jogged straight around to the block, which he pushed into the hole to unlock the final door.

"So… what are we looking for?" Link asked as they entered the wide, brightly lit room. It didn't seem to be lit by torchlight either, like the rest of the place was; instead something within the walls glowed with a strange, unnatural firelight.

"I think… what we're looking for is below us." She pointed to a dark patch of soil, which the little red dragon was hovering over and softly growling at in short bursts as it flapped. Link pulled out a bomb and stepped away a bit.

"There, that should do it." Navi frowned.

"Uh, Link?" He looked towards her. "What?" "You might want to…"

Before Navi could finish her sentence, the bomb blew up, and the ground beneath Link's feet dislodged itself from under him. Link screamed, but luckily his scream was cut short as he landed with a thud, the impact sending tiny sparks across the nerve endings in his legs.

"What? Where are we?" Navi blinked, and the dragon had returned to Link's shoulder, hissing and spitting softly. "Hey, what's…?"

A couple loud, thudding footsteps and a huge roar alerted Link to the presence of the creature. It looked just like the smaller Dodongos that Link had seen in the cavern, only this one was much, much bigger, and pulsed with black magic. Link recoiled, remembering the shadows that had surrounded the man in the window that the Princess had shown him.

_He'd_ done this to this poor creature, and now Link was the one who had to put it out of its misery.

"King Dodongo!" The dragon snarled.

Link guessed this creature, King Dodongo, was what had been causing the rock shortage in Goron City. That man must have wanted to Spiritual Stone of Fire and Darunia must have refused to give it. So the Desert King had gone and done _this_ to the Goron people. He couldn't just do this for the Stone… Link had to do it for the Gorons, too.

King Dodongo rolled up into a huge, spiny ball and began to roll forwards in their direction. "Link!" Navi shouted, "Run, Link!"

"No, Link!" The red dragon shouted as they ran, "Hide! There!"

In the corners where the walls met, there was a little triangular space just big enough for Link and the rest of them to hide in.

"Wait for him to pass! Then breathe fire! Weaken him!" The little dragon said quickly, the creature's grasping of the human tongue coming faster to it now. "What do you mean; breathe fire? I'm not a dragon!" The baby dragon hissed quietly, frustrated that it didn't know the right words. Then Navi got it. "Link, your bombs! I think he's trying to tell you to throw the bombs into the thing's mouth!"

The dragon nodded fervently as King Dodongo rolled past them and bumped loudly into the wall, turning around.

"Now!" The dragon chirped. Link wasted no time pulling out a bomb and tossing one in, and watching as it choked on the exploding bomb. He began slashing at the huge lizard, making sure he knew exactly where he wanted the sword to go before he swung, and then it rolled back up into a ball and the cycle began again.

Link managed to repeat the process once more; only he realized that he'd used up all his bombs as he'd been perfecting his aim to get the bombs in King Dodongo's mouth.

"No! I don't have any more bombs!" The little dragon on his shoulder hissed.

"I'll do it. I'll breathe fire!" Navi frowned. "But you'll need more fire than those little streams that you used earlier!" The dragon scowled and shook its head, muttering the same words to itself. Link turned to Navi. "It's all we've got! Let him try!" Navi and the dragon shared glances as the three of them ran after King Dodongo. "Oh, all right…"

But the little dragon was determined. His wings had come to him when he'd needed them, and his so Greater Fire would come to him too.

King Dodongo turned around and opened its huge jaws to the tiny floating dragon. It began to inhale, bringing in the air in needed to use its own blast of Greater Fire. The slight red dragon snarled, and felt a powerful magic stirring in its little chest. It roared, the resounding reverberations causing King Dodongo to pause in its inhalation, and then the little red dragon threw the magic into the creature's open mouth in a torrent of silky red-yellow flames.

King Dodongo had resumed inhaling air, but it also took in the red dragon's flame along with it. The flames tore at his insides and the Dodongo gave a little choked cry, stumbling to the ground with a thud.

Link, with a cry of triumph, finished off the huge, lumbering lizard with a few more slashes from his Kokiri Sword. The beast gave a strangled cry, roaring painfully as it turned around to roll the other way, its path becoming less and less careful until it finally rolled into the pit of lava in the center of the room. It sank into the lava, the darkness dissipating, the lava hardening as the creature gave one, last mournful cry and a pool of blue light appeared next to its corpse.

"It said thank you…" the little red dragon whispered in Link's ear.

Link nodded. He could guess at what the beast had thanked him for. Then he sighed, looking himself over. He'd come out of the fight relatively unscathed, and he hadn't been quite so afraid as Gohma had made him. Maybe he was really meant to do this… or he was just getting better at getting past his fear.

"Come on you two," he said finally, "let's go back to Darunia so we can get that Stone."

"All right!" Navi shouted, holding up a fist in the air.

They all laughed, even the red dragon, as they stepped into the blue light to return back to Goron City and continue on their adventure.

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><p>I love finishing chapters. Makes me feel all happy. Fingers still hurt though… I didn't think it would go on this long… XD<p>

Anyway, I thought I'd have Baby Volvagia accompany Link and Navi through Dodongo's Cavern. He doesn't appear in the game, but you can find him in the manga version of the story. He doesn't have wings when he's a baby dragon, but I figured the wings would be a useful device for development, even though the little dragon won't be sticking around much longer. (He has to stay at the volcano so he becomes the boss of the Fire Temple and there's some drama for the boss fight.)

Baby Volvagia is never given a name until he starts terrorizing the Gorons, so I thought I would refrain from giving him a name here. And he _can_ speak, it's just that he only repeats Link's name in the manga, not more than that. I sort of stretched that ability to longer sentences, but he's not about to start rattling off poetry or anything.

So, that's about it really. If you have any questions or anything, feel free to leave them in the review. I don't really feel like demanding any reviews today so I'm only going to casually suggest you click the little button that says 'review'. Or subscribe to an alert. That's fine too.

Thanks for reading! :)


	7. Secret of the Waterfall

Chapter Seven: Secret of the Waterfall

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><p>Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force<p>

Chapter: 7

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: Would I be writing this if I owned either franchise? …well, actually I might still be writing this. Anyway, I don't own either Zelda or Star Wars so don't be giving me any grief about it, yeah? Thanks.

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

Okay, I'm terribly sorry for my lateness, but last week I was at camp for four days and it was hard to get back into a really good writing loop. (That and I got caught up in some Stargate: Atlantis fanfiction and, well… yeah.) Anyway, Baby Volvagia won't be with much longer, but he'll be back… just wait. It wouldn't do having a little dragon messing around inside a huge fish, so I figured I'd need to drop him off somewhere eventually.

Oh, and expect this to be a really long chapter as well, I've got a lot of stuff to cover before I actually get to Jabu Jabu, so… sit tight. Enjoy! :)

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><p>The soft blue light set Link and the little red dragon down a few yards away from the entrance to Dodongo's Cavern. Navi wriggled out from underneath Link's hat, dimming her light until the tiny body of a winged young woman appeared and began floating around Link's head.<p>

For a brief moment the three of them simply stood there and stared up at the great blue sky and the early morning sun, soaking in the sunlight.

And then they heard it: a low thrumming beneath the earth.

Navi gasped quietly and tugged at Link's ear when she saw the shadow appear out of nowhere on the ground. "Look out, Link!" Link wasted no time in stumbling backwards as the shadow grew larger and eventually came to a stop as something rocky and extremely life-like landed in the middle of it.

Link stared in amazement, blinking owlishly in the light. Darunia himself had landed at Link's feet before the cavern's entrance, followed by two other Gorons with wide smiles that were strangely absent of teeth.

"Do not fear," Darunia boomed, "it is me, Darunia! Well done, Link!" The great Goron leader flashed a proud grin down at him. "Why, thanks to you, we can once again eat the delicious rocks from the Dodongo's Cavern until our stomachs burst!" Here, Darunia let out a huge laugh that almost startled Link and sent the little red dragon scuttling for the underside of Link's hat.

"What a wild adventure that was! It will make an incredible story…" Darunia sighed. "I can't believe that the Dodongos suddenly appeared in such great numbers, and that huge rock that blocked the cave… all this trouble must have been caused by that Gerudo thief, Ganondorf!" Darunia's stony features twisted in anger while Link simply nodded solemnly. "You refused to give him the Spiritual Stone of Fire, didn't you?" Darunia stood back and studied the child's expression. "Yes, yes he did. I have already sent a warning about him to the King of Hyrule but he has refused to listen! That may be why he himself did not send a messenger to help me…"

"Perhaps," Link agreed, "for the Princess herself said that her father would not even listen to his High Priest, which I'm assuming isn't a good thing…"

Darunia's face twitched in anger again, though only slightly.

"No, that isn't a good thing. But, I digress…" Darunia folded his burly, rock-like arms and smiled down at Link. "You risked our life for us, kid… oh, excuse me; Link. I respect you for that." His smile became a grin. "How about you and I become Sworn Brothers? There is no greater honor for you among our people!" Link blinked, stunned. "Well, is there a…?"

Darunia shook his head, still grinning. "No, there's no big ceremony involved! Just take this as a token of our friendship!"

He proceeded to hold out his arms in a sweeping gesture, calling upon a magic that flashed over Link's senses as he looked up. Link held an arm over his eyes to shield them from the blinding red-white light that had appeared. When it was gone, Link's jaw dropped, and he held out his hands to the thing Darunia was giving to him. It was the Goron's Ruby, the Spiritual Stone of Fire: a diamond ruby that glowed with an inner fire set into a golden 'v-shape' that was studded with little sparkling gems similar to the Emerald.

When the Stone touched his hands he felt a overwhelming warmth spread through him and the sheer force of the feelings of companionship and strength brought tears to his eyes. He looked up at Darunia as if to say he didn't deserve this, but then he remembered his mission and he wiped the tears away.

"T-Thank you," Link said after he finally managed to find his voice, "I don't know what else to say." Darunia let down his arms and smirked at the boy.

"You don't need to say anything. But you will keep brushing up on those skills of yours as you travel for me, won't you?" Link nodded. "Of course I will!" He returned the Goron's smile. Darunia nodded. "You should probably go see the Great Fairy on top of Death Mountain! She'll help you power up for your journey!" Then Darunia chuckled, and the rolling timbre of it seemed to wipe away the smile on Link's face.

"Navi… what's he…?"

"Hey everybody!" Darunia called, holding out his arms again and calling to any Gorons that could hear him. "Let's see off our Brother!"

Oh no.

Two more thuds nearly knocked Link off his feet as the Gorons landed. The four Gorons that stood around Darunia smiled wider, finally showing the flat rock-grinding teeth in their mouths.

"You did great!" They cried in unison, "How 'bout a big Goron hug, Brother?" The little red dragon on Link's shoulder squealed. "Eee! Don't do it, Link! Run!" Navi paled and nodded in agreement as Link began backing away instinctively.

"I would agree with the little dragon that it would be advisable to…"

"AHH!"

Link hadn't bothered to let Navi finish her sentence as he turned tail to run back towards Goron City. "Hey, what are you doing?" she asked him as he ran into and through the city. "I needed more bombs, remember? I used them all up in that battle and I know I saw some in a shop down on the bottom level!"

"Oh." Navi said simply, flying after him as he curtailed around a corner, confusing the Gorons that had been chasing him.

So Link bought more bombs from the shop at the bottom of Goron City and returned outside to where a couple of ledges were blocked by small boulders. Link blew up the ones on the first level and collected the rupees he found in their rubble, eventually turning to a rock that sat on the final ledge he needed to reach the path leading up the mountainside. He waited until the bomb was bright pink and almost burning his hands until he threw it, effectively decimating the boulder to bits and leaving a red rupee in the rubble as he picked it up and ran down the slope that merged with the path leading to the top.

As he walked, Link became aware of the ground shaking and the temperature of the air ramping up quickly. Navi squeaked and yelled at Link, "It's the mountain! Hide under your Hylian Shield, Link!" He proceeded to do so, with the dragon curling up under it with him as flaming rocks and boulders beat against the shield. After a few moments, the barrage stopped, and Link slowly stood up again.

"Is it over?" he asked Navi quietly. Navi nodded. "I think so… but it might start up again in a minute or so. Just watch for the changes and move quickly so we can cover more distance in between eruptions." Link nodded and proceeded to do so.

It happened at least three more times before he got to the wall at the end, and his fair skin seemed to crackle with the heat he'd endured.

"This can't be good for my skin," he muttered, frowning at the red on his arms. Navi looked it over. "Maybe the Great Fairy can heal it if you ask her nicely. Her cave is just a little ways away from the top end of this climbing wall." She looked up, and then whimpered slightly.

"But you might want to get rid of those Skulltulas before you try to climb… they'll knock you right off if you don't deal with them. And no," she lowered her voice almost to a whisper, "I'm not just saying that so you can kill them for me." Link nodded. "I understand. Okay," he said to the little red dragon, "hold on tight!" He killed off the two Skulltulas he could reach with his slingshot and began climbing the wall, which was essentially wooden planks nailed into the rock face. He found a ledge higher up he could set himself on in order to kill the third Skulltula and proceeded to finish climbing the planks and pull himself over the edge.

He lay there for a moment to catch his breath and glanced over at the owl that perched itself on a nearby signpost. To the left of the great bird was a wall covered in light brown dirt that signaled that it was bomb-able.

Link groaned as he pulled himself to his feet and walked straight past the owl to place a bomb before the wall. It blew moments later, scattering dirt and dust everywhere, including on the three of them, leaving them blinking in the flying motes that the little dragon nipped at playfully.

"Okay… well, we should just go inside… right?" He glanced pointedly in Navi's direction. She pushed a curl back behind her right ear and nodded. "I hope she doesn't think we're underdressed…" Link gave her a look. "Why would she think that?" Navi gave him a slightly startled look but then seemed to think better of what she was going to say. "Just go in, Link." "Okay."

So he entered the cave. For a few moments, all was dark… until a white light appeared at the end of the hall and eventually came to reveal a huge room with tiled white floors and walls that glittered with what Link could only assume was falling water, though Din knows where it came from. The little red dragon scrambled down Link's frame to the floor, his little claws clicking on the tiles. As Link arrived at a wide step in front of a crystal pool at the far end of the room emblazoned with a Triforce symbol he suddenly felt _dirty_.

Like he wasn't _clean_ enough.

He suddenly knew why Navi had reacted the way she had when he'd asked her why the Great Fairy would care. It was probably nothing, seeing as travelers came across the Great Fairies all the time and most of them couldn't always be all shiny and clean all the time either. But he could understand Navi's fears, at least.

Link glanced down at the symbol on the floor. He'd seen enough of this particular symbol to guess what it wanted from him. So he took out the Fairy Ocarina from his hat and pressed it to his lips, beginning the first few notes to Zelda's Lullaby. When he was done, he put it back into his hat and waited.

Suddenly a loud, very girlish peal of laughter echoed through the room as something burst from the pool, water splashing in all directions, sending the little red dragon skittering behind Link for shelter. Link watched as the thing formed into a large, well endowed woman with long, striking bright pink hair bound in several ponytails that was covered all over in thick, spindly vines and wearing only those with a pair of thigh-high black boots. Link blushed crimson; as he was suddenly very grateful the vines covered most of the necessary places on the Great Fairy's body.

"And you were worried about her thinking that we were underdressed?" He asked Navi in a low voice. Navi shrugged. "She wasn't quite so… eccentric the last time I was here." Link just scowled as he looked back up at the Great Fairy, making sure that his eyes stayed locked on the Great Fairy's face.

"Well, hello little Hero! I am the Great Fairy of Power!"

The fairy laughed a light woman's laugh and winked at Link, making Link blush even harder. "I already know your fairy's name, but I'm afraid…" she leaned down until she was laid out as if on a floor, with her face inches from Link's, "…I'm afraid I do not know yours." Link swallowed, his eyes wide.

"I-I'm Link." He said simply, not quite sure where to go from there.

The Great Fairy threw herself back into a sitting position with a laugh, crossing one slender leg over the other. "Well, Link! I am going to grant you a sword technique and a boost to your endurance! Receive it with dignity, my child!" Then she made a standing motion in the air and held out her arms to him, Link's eyes locked on her glowing eyes that were surrounded by dark pink eyeliner and lashes curled with mascara.

He closed them as the gentle red winds that fluttered around him filled his weary body with renewed strength, and suddenly he drew his sword in a spinning motion until he could no longer stand to watch the waters fall around him in counter-clockwise glittering patterns. He twirled the sword in his hand as if it had been there since birth and sheathed it without looking.

Then Link opened his eyes again, slightly dazed and amazed he'd done most of that with his eyes closed. "What… what was that?" He asked the Great Fairy. She quirked a smile at him.

"That would be what you would call the spin attack technique. Simply hold out your weapon and charge it with magic power. When it is full, release the magic upon your enemies in a devastating attack!" She leaned back and crossed her legs again. "Now, isn't that nice? Say… since you're the royal family's messenger, do you think you could stop by my sister's fountain if you're ever in the neighborhood? She works with Hylian magic and might be able to teach you the basics if you ask nicely!" She giggled girlishly.

Then she put a finger to her chin and smiled the first gentle smile Link had seen cross the fairy's face since he'd summoned her. "If you should ever need a break from your journey, come to one my sister's springs, and we shall heal your wounds. Goodbye, Link." She inclined her head slightly to him and then disappeared back into her fountain, humming a pretty little tune.

Link stood there for a moment, staring at the pool when Navi noticed the burns on Link's arms had healed. In fact, even his clothes looked brand-new again.

"That's kind of… nice," he observed. Then he looked himself over. "Though I seem to be getting a permanent tan." Navi shrugged. "It's not so bad, really. It actually kind of suits you. Now should we go see what that owl outside wants?" Link rolled his eyes. "Why not? It's as good a time as any."

Link stepped back out into the early morning sun and walked around to talk with the owl face to face.

"Um, hey… you never exactly told me your name, though you seem to know mine." Navi snorted. "Nice way to start a conversation." Link shot her a look. "It's not like there were classes for proper conversation back in the forest, you know…" Navi just shook her head. The owl, which had not seemed to notice the exchange, merely chuckled.

"Why, I was just wondering when you were going to ask! My name is Kaepora Gaebora. Well, it seems like you've grown up a little from the Great Fairy's power… but you still don't really look like the Hero who will save Hyrule… or at least not yet!" Link scoffed. "Gee, thanks for that vote of confidence there," he muttered under his breath. Kaepora didn't seem to notice this either and continued with, "If you're going back down the mountain, I can lend you a wing. Come here and grab my talons, but hold on tight! Hoo hoot!"

Link frowned, and looked down at the little red dragon at his feet.

"What about this little guy?" He motioned to the dragon, "He can fly, but…"

"Ah," said Kaepora slowly, "yes, I see. I'm afraid he'll have to stay here on the mountain. Perhaps in Death Mountain Crater?" The great owl gestured with a wing to the cave off to the right of the Great Fairy's Fountain. "The Crater is perfect for a young dragon to grow up in… and you can come back and visit him any time you want, of course!"

Link looked down at the dragon who was sniffing curiously at the warm air wafting from the entrance to the Crater. He knelt down on the ground and the little red dragon came skittering back to him, a goofy smile on its face.

"It's so warm!" It crowed happily. Link smiled sadly. "You really like it here?" The dragon, sensing that his friend was not happy, nudged Link's left hand with its snout. "Link isn't happy?" Link smiled a little more. "I'm happy for you… but I can't stay here and I can't take you with me. You have to stay at the Crater… without me." The little red dragon frowned and sat down on its haunches, looking rather dejected.

"But, but… you'll come back?" Link nodded and gathered the little dragon into his arms for a gentle hug. "Of course, I promise I'll come back. Just don't forget about me while I'm gone, okay? Promise that you'll remember me when I come back." The dragon locked its impossible green eyes with Link's deep azure blues. It felt like an eternity before the dragon answered.

"I'll remember, Link… I promise."

Link hugged the little dragon tighter and then let it go, standing back up. "Grow up strong, okay?" The little red dragon flashed a wide smile up at Link. "Okay!" Finally, Link turned to Kaepora and nodded.

"Okay, I'm ready." Then he braced himself as he grabbed Kaepora's talons.

The great owl flapped its huge wings as Link's fingers curled tightly around them. He turned his neck around as much as he possibly could so he could look back at the little red dragon. "Goodbye…" Link whispered, a single tear rolling off into the wind in the dragon's direction. He sure would miss him.

After a short (though admittedly beautiful flight) Kaepora dropped Link off on top of one of the houses in Kakariko Village.

"So… now what?" Navi asked Link after a few moments. Link frowned.

"Well, the Great Fairy did mention another sister in Hyrule Castle… do you know where she is?" Navi thought for a moment. "Yes, I think I do! So, do you want to go there?" Link nodded. "Yeah. It should still be pretty early in the day so maybe we can reach the river before noon!"

Navi sighed. "At the rate you're going? I wouldn't count on it…"

"Hey!"

Link scrambled off the roof in the direction of the village exit. He and Navi talked for the short while it took them to reach Castle Town's south gate, mostly about random things they wondered about.

"You know, I doubt they can _actually_ speak to anyone, really…" Navi argued, "I mean, have you heard a Whispering Stone ever whisper anything?" Link shrugged. "Well no, but…" Navi gestured around to no one. "You see?" A little smile crept up onto Link's face as he watched her. "But Navi, only Sheikah or those who wear a special mask can hear them. It's no surprise that you can't hear them whisper without those things." Navi huffed shortly through her nose and folded her arms while Link just laughed.

"You're funny, Navi… now come on!"

This time upon entering the town, Link had a purpose and a place to go. He walked past the large fountain in the center of the main plaza and through the north gate that marked the beginning of the path to the castle. Navi directed Link out of the sight of the guards posted around the gate by having him climb some vines curling upwards on a nearby cliff. Then Link discovered a ladder that descended down into a guard-post that had an exit door on the opposite side of the gate, which was exactly where they needed to be.

Upon exiting the door, Link saw the dead end sign off to his right, and the dusty brown boulder behind it. He'd seen these before at Death Mountain, so he placed a bomb beside it and lit its fuse, running behind some bushes for cover.

The bomb did a wonderful job of blowing it up, though it perhaps did too wonderful a job. The flying rubble from the rock had flown into the dead end sign and thrown it over Link's head and further into the bushes. Well, at least it hadn't gotten the attention of the guards… yet. Though Link was willing to bet that with the track record he'd been keeping, they still weren't going to be there when Link came back _out_ of the Great Fairy's Fountain.

So Link entered the little crawlspace and into a familiar dark hallway. He walked down into the shadows until he came to a room similar to the first Great Fairy's only this one had walls that sparkled with falling droplets of violet colored water and was lit with bright green torchlight. The tiles, which had previously been white, now glowed a soothing rosy pink.

Link stepped onto the Triforce symbol before the fountain and played Zelda's Lullaby, only looking once this time to make sure he had the right fingering.

Once again another fairy came rushing forth from the water and spraying crystal droplets in random directions, though most miraculously missed the spot where Link and Navi stood. Link stared up at the Great Fairy, who seemed a little less eccentric than her sister.

She looked exactly like the previous Great Fairy, with the way her face was shaped and the way she bound her hair in three different ponytails, however her hair glowed a soft violet, like that of the walls of her fountain, and she wore a dark blue slip along with her vines and long black thigh-high boots. She smiled serenely as she held her hands out to them.

"Welcome, my children! I am one of the Great Fairies of Magic! My sister was gracious enough to enough to supply your name Link, as well as to let me know you might be headed in my general direction. I assume she told you that I am one of the most magically adept of the six of us?" Link nodded. "Yes, ma'am, she did. She said you might be able to teach me the basics of Hylian magic." He tapped his right foot behind his left shyly. "Please?"

The Great Fairy bowed her head slightly. "Of course I will teach you! And you must forgive my sister for her… oddities. She hasn't quite been the same since… well, I'm afraid won't go into it. Anyway here, take this spell." She held both of her slender hands out to him in a sweeping motion like the previous fairy had done, and a bright wind began to swirl around Link as his inner core responded to its touch.

"Notice what you are feeling, Link," the Great Fairy supplied, "that is your own magic sensing that there is other magic nearby. Also note what your instincts are telling you: what is it?" Link answered quickly, the words already on his lips. "They're telling me that I need to hold out my hands," he said immediately. The Great Fairy nodded. "Good. Listen to your instincts, Link. They may well keep you out of trouble many times on your journey. Now, please proceed to hold out your hands for me." Link obliged.

Once he did so, a similar ball of bright red-white light that the Fairy was holding out to him began to form over his slightly cupped palms. It grew brighter and larger as the Fairy's ball of light grew smaller and dimmer until there was a great flash and all Link could do was simply close his eyes and open them a moment later.

He didn't need to gasp at the thing he found resting in his hands when his sight sharpened enough to see what it was. It was a ball of fire, real fire, swirling around hungrily inside a diamond shaped crystal container. He could feel the magic pulsing softly within, ready and eager.

"What is it?" he asked the Great Fairy in a soft voice. "The magic you hold in your hands is a physical manifestation of the spell called Din's Fire. Press the magic inside your core and you will be able to hold it to your chest and call it to you as a great ball of fire that will spread outwards from your standing point. Try it now." Link looked startled and glanced worriedly at Navi.

"Oh, don't worry!" The Great Fairy laughed, "Your allies won't be harmed. Just do as I said. Go on, Link." Link nodded and pressed the magic into his chest so it would bond with his core, though it sent the oddest sensation of a burning shock through his body as it came in contact with magic it was unfamiliar with. After a moment, though, it settled inside Link like a cat curling up for a nap, though it kept one ear cocked up in case of trouble. Moments after that, the magic no longer felt foreign to his core and became a part of him as if it had always been there.

Then Link remembered what the Fairy had asked him to do, so he curled his left hand against his chest and called the fire to him with his mind, the little ball slowly forming as embers swirled around and around. It quickly reached a point where the space in his hand could no longer contain more magic, and – taking the advice of the Great Fairy – Link let the instinct to throw back his arm and press his palm to the floor wash over him.

The air exploded with a dome of angry red flames and spread away from him in a miniature explosion that left Link breathless.

"Wow… is that… is that all I can do?" he whispered to himself, eyes wide.

The Great Fairy shook her head, her lips twitching into a slight smile. "No, it isn't. You can also call Din's Fire to burn things like torches or other enemies if your sword isn't available to you. But you must give it explicit instructions to act either as a projectile or as a striking flame or it will not know what to do and may act on other impulses of its own." Link frowned. "Its own impulses?" The Great Fairy grinned.

"What? Did you expect magic to just be energy available to our command? No, certainly not. All of the base elements have a kind of awareness of who is using them and how they are being used. Remember that, and it may come as useful to you one day. Trust me when I say that no magic is evil at its base, even shadow. It is only the forces that act upon them that make them so."

Link bowed slightly to the Great Fairy. "Thank you for teaching me."

"No, thank you for coming to me, Link." She inclined her head towards him as he had. "Go and continue your journey, and do not forget that you may return to any of my sister's fountains if you are weary and in need of rest."

Once the Great Fairy was gone, Link exited the fountain and (as he'd expected) had no trouble in getting back to the main plaza of the town.

"You mentioned that there's a shop around here that we could get a red potion from, Navi?" He asked her quietly as he milled about with the rest of the general populace, though the square was not so crowded as it has been on Market Day. Most of the people here were locals and travelers passing through. He seemed surprised at how many people went in and out of the city each day. Navi nodded and pointed to the sign of a shop across the other side of the square that had a pot with the words 'Potion Shop' written on it in glittering gilded lettering.

"Well, you can't make it any more obvious now can you?" Link muttered.

Navi scoffed and replied under her breath, "I'm sure there are ways…"

Link crossed the plaza and entered the shop, standing off to the side to glance over the wares that were sold here. Inside the shop it was quaint, lined with wooden shelves and lit by torchlight for the lack of windows, and occupied at the moment by an older mad standing at the counter haggling with the brown-haired shop owner about the price of something called a 'Poe Soul' and someone else standing in the shadows on the opposite side, most likely waiting to make their selection as well. Link could see in the room's vague lighting that they were about his height, but nothing more.

So he turned his attention to the items available as he waited. There were many items sold at this particular shop that ranged from things such as fairy spirits like the one Link currently had tucked safely away in his hat to a bottled collection of blue fire, though Link had no idea why anyone would want it except for its color.

"It heals freezer burn for people that work in cold climates or those that repair motor vehicles like speeders." Navi supplied, whispering quietly in his ear. The figure in corner turned their head ever so slightly and Link whispered back to Navi to be careful about how loud she spoke.

Finally, the older man left after purchasing two fish, and the person that had been standing in the shadows came up and purchased their selection quickly (a packet of Deku Nuts) before exiting the shop. In the brief moment that Link managed to gleam the appearance of the stranger was that they were dressed simply and carried a bow and quiver sling across their back. Link frowned at their hasty departure, but knew he had his own purchase to make.

"How may I help you, young sir?" The shop owner asked him. Link found that the counter he came up to was taller than what he was used to, but it still only came up to his shoulders. He slid a red rupee and two blue rupees along with his empty bottle onto the counter. "I'd like a refill of some red potion, please." The shop owner politely obliged and took the money and gave him back the bottle full of red potion.

"Thank you, sir!" The shop owner smiled at him. "Oh, thank you. It's always nice to see such polite young folks going about errands like this. Good day to you." Link returned the sentiment and entered the plaza once again.

"So we go to… Zora's River?" Navi bounced up and down in her fluffy ball of light form. "Yes, of course!" Then she paused, phased into her humanoid form, and pointed in the direction of the fish vendor that had nearly run over Link on Market Day. "Hey, isn't that the person from the shop earlier? The one with the bow?" Link frowned and then seemed to agree.

"Looks like they're headed out of town… and on foot! I wonder if they're headed for the river as well." Navi suggested that if he wanted to know, he'd better go and ask, though her wording had been a little less refined. Link playfully swatted in her direction and ran off after them.

Finally he caught up to the person at the edge of town, just before the gates.

"Hey, wait! I need to ask you something!" The person stopped, then turned around to meet Link's eyes dead on. And they were very familiar eyes.

Silver eyes were framed by stray wisps of jet-black hair that had escaped the two ponytails the child – and it was a child, for the shape of their face said as much – had bound her hair in. Link only knew the child was female from the way she answered in a slightly higher pitched tone than his own voice, though it clipped slightly with annoyance.

"Yeah, what is it? Oh, wait… you were that person in the shop that was talking to yourself. Well, what do you want?"

Link blinked and in his hesitation Navi wriggled out of his hat and put her hands on her hips in a familiar gesture Link was beginning to associate with the same annoyance that graced the features of the girl standing before him.

"He was talking to me, just so you know. Link's not crazy… at least not that kind of crazy." She folded her arms and continued speaking in a slightly distant voice, "Unless of course you're talking about his occasional disregard for my safety, you might be right about that…"

The girl blinked. "Oh, you were talking to your fairy? I apologize…"

She inclined her head and smiled apologetically. "Forgive me for my rudeness. You wanted to ask me a question? I'm Ashei, by the way." Link shook himself and found his voice again so as to reply to the girl.

"Yes… I wanted to ask you if you were headed for Zora's River. I'm headed in that direction and I could use a traveling companion… _not_ that this little ball of fluff here," Link gestured to Navi, "is any fun to talk to, but I need to talk to an actual person every once in a while." He chanced a look at Navi.

"No offence, Navi." She shrugged. "None taken."

The girl, Ashei, studied them with a peculiarly smug look on her face. While she looked them over, Link noticed then that along with the bow she carried, she also wore a tan, long-sleeved shirt that was mostly plain with the exception of some Hylian markings on the ends, black pants that went to about her ankles, and a pair of laced up sandals that came up to her thighs. She also happened to be carrying a small rucksack with a fishing net inside it that was slung across the opposite shoulder her bow was.

Finally, the girl shrugged.

"I don't see why not. Well come on, time's a wasting!" With that, she turned on her heels and began to walk briskly in the direction of Zora's River. When Link finally caught up to Ashei he set himself into a step next to her that felt right and completely natural.

"So what's your business up at the river?" Ashei asked him out of the blue, as if she'd been thinking about it for a while. Link shrugged, realizing he'd have to be careful with his words in case she was some sort of spy. "I don't really know yet. I'm supposed to be getting something for someone but they wouldn't tell me what it was… anyway, what about you?" Ashei stared at him for a moment and then returned the shrug.

"Well, I forgot that I needed fish when Market Day came around… so now I have to go and catch some from the river because the lake is too far." She sounded like she was annoyed by this fact, but Link didn't press it.

"Don't they have fish in the Potion Shop? I saw that man buy two of them…"

Ashei shook her head. "They're mostly used for medicinal purposes or as pets. They're not really for meals and things like that." Link nodded, making a small 'oh' motion with his mouth. "So do you use that bow to kill them when you catch them?" Link asked, "Or is it just for defense, like my sword?" She glanced over to her right to look at the Kokiri Sword beneath the huge Hylian Shield. "A little of both," she answered. "I have a knife up one of my shirt sleeves that I use to slit their throats." She grinned at and him and giggled at his disgusted expression.

"Hey, just because I use a weapon to defend myself doesn't mean that I like doing it…" Link scowled; shuddering as he remembered the moment he'd watched Gohma die and _liked_ it. "No one should _like _watching a creature die, even if they're evil." Ashei hummed slightly, her eyes softening.

"I understand. I just get curious sometimes… you know, about how things work. I don't actually like watching them die either, but everything has to eat something, even plants." Link stared at her. "What _do_ plants eat, anyway? I mean, I've always known they need soil, sunlight, and water, but…" Navi wriggled out from underneath his hat and fluttered around so he could see her. "Link, weren't you listening? I told you about the nutrients and all that when we were in the Great Deku Tree."

Link gave her a skeptical look. "I was… I was just trying to find a way out of there at the same time." Ashei giggled at their playful banter. "Well, she's right. The nutrients and minerals that are in the soil are what help the plants make their own food. They also take in the stuff we breath out when we exhale, called carbon dioxide. And they in turn provide us with the oxygen that they make as a by-product of their own food making."

Link blinked. "Wow, that's pretty neat… so everything is really all kind of connected, huh?" Ashei nodded. "Yeah, in some ways." Then she stopped. "Well, I have to stay here at the entrance to fish, but if you're going on ahead, this is the most shallow place to cross." Link nodded, amazed at how fast the time had gone while they'd walked. "Thank you for walking with me," he told her. She nodded and waved him away. "Go do what you need to do."

Then she flashed him a smile that made the light of the late morning sun catch her eyes and sparkle slightly. "Perhaps I'll see you again someday?" Link smiled back, only blushing just a little, and told her maybe he would.

Link left Ashei as she was casting her net to head deeper into the river. When he rounded the corner, Kaepora Gaebora was waiting for him once again, sitting perched on top of a gatepost, and preening some feathers in one of his great wings. Link hacked through some tall grass with his sword to get closer to the owl, because he knew it wouldn't leave without speaking to him at least once.

"Is there something you want to say to me?" Link asked, now beginning to understand Navi's original annoyance with the owl.

"Hoo hoo! Why yes, there is! It seems you've gotten bigger and stronger already, Link!" It owl cleared his throat and began again in a less exuberant tone. "Just ahead lies Zora's Domain. The Zoras are a race of fish people that serve Hyrule by protecting this water source. Their door will not open for anyone except those who have some connection with the Royal Family. Let them hear that melody the Sheikah taught you, Link!" And just like that, Kaepora beat his huge wings and flew off into the distance.

Link blinked after it. "That's it?" Navi hummed slightly. "I guess so…"

The two companions shrugged and continued on after clearing away some boulders that blocked further progress into the river. "Well, those bombs sure come in handy sometimes, don't they?"

Link stopped at a patch of dirt that ran parallel to another stretch of land on the other side. There didn't seem to be any other way forward on his side of the river, since a fence had been erected a little ways down the path.

"Okay… now how do we get over there?" Link shot a pointed look at Navi. "And no, before you say anything, I can't fly like you can." He looked over the edge and into the swiftly running water bubbling happily beside it. "I'm not about to try jumping over that either."

Navi huffed, her left eye twitching. "It you hadn't been muttering to yourself this whole time you would have noticed that there was a Cucco over here?" Link blinked and stared at the Cucco, who was clucking softly as it pecked and scratched the ground. "Oh. Sorry Navi." Navi folded her arms and grinned smugly to herself.

Link paused and then looked at the Cucco again. "It has absolutely _no_ idea what's about to happen to it, does it?"

Navi laughed. "Probably not."

The following events all happened very quickly for various reasons, most of them involving Link almost loosing balance about five times, getting soaked at least three times and more Octoroks than Link had ever wanted to meet in his lifetime.

So, Link grabbed the Cucco and made a running jump across the gap, nearly missing getting shot by a chunk of _something_.

"What on Din's good earth was that?" Link asked Navi as he ran, still gripping the Cucco. "Ah… I'm pretty sure that was an Octorok. They shouldn't hurt you too much if you get hit by them, just–" _whoosh!_ "–just be careful where you step!"

"Yeah, I figured that… whoa!"

Eventually, after much running across streams and over bridges both man-made and land-made, Link found himself standing in front of a great waterfall with his clothes dripping ever so slightly in the noonday sun.

"So… now we just play the melody?" Navi asked Link, and was surprised she didn't have to yell over the waterfall's roar. Link nodded, reading the text on the platform just before the river. "Yeah… though I'm not exactly sure what's going to happen when I play it… I don't recognize some of the older words, I'm afraid." Navi shrugged. "Can't be too bad, can it?"

Link gave her a look as he raised the Fairy Ocarina to his lips and played the melody twice over, just in case the first round hadn't been enough.

Then he set the Ocarina back into his hat and waited.

He didn't have to wait long. Only seconds into the silence the waters of the waterfall began to shift and thin out in the center just before the ledge Link stood upon, surrounded by the cliffs and mountainous terrain until all that was left was a clear path into a place beyond the waterfall.

Link blinked. "I suppose it can't be too bad." He checked the distance and felt it safe enough to jump across, though he gave himself a bit of a running start just to be sure.

When the light began to dim just enough for his eyes to focus, Link and Navi were stunned speechless at the sight they laid their eyes on.

"This is… Zora's Domain?" Link asked no one in particular.

Zora's Domain was a huge cavern that looked like most of it was a naturally occurring thing, complete with the occasional stalagmite and stalactite hanging from the ceiling or springing from the floor. Several pathways throughout the place seemed to have been flattened out or carved into stairwells, but their undersides were clearly natural. Water collected in a huge pool at the bottom of the cavern, fed by a waterfall opposite the entrance.

"Where does that waterfall come from?" Link wondered aloud, and was more than a little surprised to have someone who was quite obviously not Navi answer him.

"That waterfall," said a fish looking man coming up a nearby ladder that led down to the huge pool at the bottom, "comes from the King's Room, which is fed by water from the Fountain beyond that."

Once the man had cleared the ledge, Link was able to get a good look at him. The Zora was much more human-like in appearance, though his skin was a bluish-white and covered with many blue and green scales. Though he did (for the most part) take the shape of a man, the Zora also had very long, sharp fins joined at the elbow and waist, as well as an elongated fin sprouting from the back of his head and ending with a very fish-like tail.

Link could see that most of the Zoras did not seem to wear clothing, though some did appear to wear pieces of guard uniforms and carry spears, a few did wear wraps of some kind like the one standing in front of him.

"Thank you for that information," Link began hesitantly, "May I ask for your name?" The Zora nodded and smiled politely. "Of course! My name is Mikau. And you must be the Royal Family's representative!" Link let out a long breath as he pushed a few strands of loose hair behind his right ear.

"Yes, I suppose I am, Mikau. But it wasn't the king that sent me; it was the Princess. She said that Hyrule was in trouble and that I needed to collect the three Spiritual Stones and bring them back to her. Oh… my name is Link, by the way."

Mikau nodded, looking slightly troubled. "I would thank you for the information as well, Link," Mikau began, "and I wish I could do something to act upon it. Normally I would refer you to talk to King Zora about the Stone, but our Princess Ruto has been missing for a few days and he won't respond to anyone who petitions him." The Zora folded his arms in obvious thought for a few moments before his head jerked slightly as and idea struck him.

"Wait, there is something you can do, I think…" Mikau dug through a pocket in his ocean blue wrap and pulled out something slivery and shining. He held out the object to Link.

"This is a Zora Scale. It will help you dive farther and faster than you could normally dive. Just press it to your skin and it will be absorbed into your pores. There, just like that." Link had taken the scale and pressed it to the skin of his right arm as Mikau had instructed, though watching it dissolve and spread through his skin was a little creepy. Then he looked up at Mikau.

"So what do you want me to do with it?"

Mikau smiled and brought him through Zora's Domain, past a shop and some pots, down to the shallow part of the pooling water where a few breakable rocks sat and some little fish swam around in. "Well Link, all this water has to go somewhere. And yes, it does in fact go somewhere. Do you see that entrance under the water there?" Link leaned over to see where Mikau was pointing, and nodded when he caught sight of it.

"I see it… now what about it?"

"That entrance down there leads to Lake Hylia, where the excess water from this pool goes out to. There are currents underneath the water that take things with it, usually things that are smaller than you, so you could come back through it if you wanted to. Anyway, about a day or so ago I saw something go down that way, but I've been too busy to check it out. It looked like it was a letter inside of a bottle of some sort and I was wondering if you could check it out for me. It might be from the Princess!" Link nodded.

"And if it is a letter from Princess Ruto?" Mikau gestured upwards to the path that led to the King's Room. "If it is a letter from the Princess, you should take it to the King right away! He might even be able to help you sort out your quest for the Spiritual Stone of Water." He sighed softly and turned away, looking back at Link. "Good luck, Link!"

"Thanks for everything, Mikau!"

Mikau nodded and turned around the bend into the Zora Shop to sort out whatever business he had there, leaving Link to set out on the task Mikau had given him.

"So all you need to do is dive down there? It's an awfully long way to the lake if the distances we measured on the map are correct." Link shrugged. "Maybe it's magic? Anyway, we don't have the time to walk to the lake and back – that would take hours! So that's our only option." Navi nodded.

"All right then. Go for it!"

Link nodded and first waded into the water and finally swam out to the deeper water just above the entrance. He could feel the Zora magic flowing underneath his skin and he took a deep breath before diving downwards quickly, making it underneath the lip of the entrance and swimming through it with a swiftness that Link was sure had to be aided by magics he couldn't quite sense. It didn't matter much once he came up for air at Lake Hylia…

Link rushed over to the side of the stone structure that was built on top of the entrance to Zora's Domain. He brushed the wet hair from his eyes and just stood in the shallow water leaning up against a pillar and staring out at the lake and everything on it.

"It's really beautiful here," he murmured to Navi, who sat on his shoulder looking out over the beautiful sight. "Yeah, it is… huh?"

Navi's eyes had been skimming the depths of the clear lake nearby their perch on the stone structure. "What's that?" Link's eyes narrowed. "I think it's a bottle… could that be what Mikau was talking about?" Navi nodded. "I think it's possible… looks like it's got something in it, too." Link took a breath as he nodded in agreement and pushed away from the pillar he'd been leaning on.

"Well, here goes." He dived back into the deeper part of the lake and dived for the bottle in the nearby depths, coming up once in failure, but tried again and managed to retrieve it the second time around. He swam back to the structure and opened the bottle.

"Yeah, this is a letter from Princess Ruto, all right." Link said to Navi and stuffing it back into the bottle and putting the bottle in his hat. "Let's go back and give this to King Zora."

So they dived underneath the water again and exited Lake Hylia through the passageway back to Zora's Domain.

Link retraced his steps back to the junction Mikau had showed him and this time he took the path going upwards to the King's Room. After climbing a ridiculously long staircase, he came to a small room with a door heading out to the top of the waterfall from earlier, a pathway looping around the right side of the room to King Zora's throne, and a pedestal with some steps that led right up to King Zora himself. Link paused for a moment when he entered.

This was King Zora?

King Zora was much, much larger than the other Zoras that Link had seen thus far. He was much like Darunia in that respect, only his largeness seemed in part more to, ah… blubber, rather than muscle. Link tentatively walked up to King Zora, who was also clad in a large red cape and an ornate crown.

"Excuse me, sir… ah, King Zora?"

King Zora, who had been moments before looking off into the distance and muttering strange things under his breath looked up at Link but did not quite meet his eyes.

"Oh, my dear, sweet Princess Ruto…" King Zora crooned, "Where has she gone? I'm so worried…" Link swallowed and inclined his head slightly to the man, er… fish. "Sir, I think I know where she is. I have a letter from her." The King instantly sat up and his eyes cleared as they finally locked on with Link's. "A letter, you say? Well let's have it then!"

Link quickly dug it out of his hat and handed the Zora the piece of paper while Link kept the bottle.

"Yes… this is indeed a letter from my Princess Ruto. Hmm… let's see… wait! She's inside Lord Jabu-Jabu? That's not possible!" Link blinked. "Well maybe it is… possible, sir?" King Zora shook his head.

"Our guardian god, Lord Jabu-Jabu, would never eat my dear Princess Ruto!"

King Zora sighed and put a scaly hand to his head. After a moment's thought, though, a strange light twinkled in the King's eyes and he put the hand down.

"But… since that stranger Ganondorf came here, Lord Jabu-Jabu has been a little green around the gills…" The King nodded. "All right… I suppose the evidence is clear. Of course you'll go find Ruto. You can pass through here to the altar of Lord Jabu-Jabu. Please find my dear Princess Ruto immediately!"

Link nodded and bowed slightly at the waist. "Of course, sir."

After that little exchange, King Zora began to slowly move away from the entrance to the Fountain beyond. It took some time, given the King's proportions (which Link noticed were sort of _out_ of proportion, for the King's feet were oddly tiny for such a big man… fish) but eventually the King had cleared a sufficient distance for Link to pass behind him.

"Oh, and you might need a sacrifice for Lord Jabu-Jabu… please take one of those fish with you just in case." King Zora pointed out absently. Link scooped up one of the fish in the room and headed around through the gates to Zora's Fountain.

The area around the Fountain was much like a little lake that would have been just as beautiful as Lake Hylia… if there hadn't been a HUGE fish smack dab in the middle of it. Not that he was going to say that aloud.

Wouldn't want to anger the guardian god of the Zoras… not really…

"So… what do we do now?" Link asked Navi as they stood in front of the huge fish called Lord Jabu-Jabu. Navi thought for a moment.

"Well… King Zora said we might need a sacrifice for him… why don't you pour out that bottle with the fish in it and see what happens?" Link gave her a long, skeptical look and then gave another one to the bottle in his hand.

"Are you… _sure_ that this is safe?" he asked her slowly.

Navi nodded sharply several times. "Yeah, of course I am!"

Link looked at her once more and at the bottle again for a long time. Finally he shook his head and sighed as he uncorked the bottle, splashing the fish and the water in the bottle onto the stone platform in front of them.

"Okay Navi, if this turns out to be…" "Uh, Link?" "What?" "Look."

Link saw Navi's apprehensive expression and he turned back to Lord Jabu-Jabu. Then he blinked. He couldn't possibly be seeing what he thought he was seeing… was he?

Lord Jabu-Jabu was moving… and opening his mouth.

Link could feel a strange shift in the air and frowned at it as it began to increase in volume and intensity by the second. "Ah… Navi?" But Navi was holding onto Link's hat for dear life, and the force of the air was beginning to even affect Link's own body. "Okay Navi, what's going on… aaah!"

The fish had been the first to be sucked in by Jabu-Jabu's sharp intake of breath, which Link later admitted to himself should have probably been the first indication of the following events. In any case, after a few moments of resisting, and a good sharper intake of breath (as was inevitable) even Link was ripped off his feet and sucked straight into the unknown depths and dangers of Lord Jabu-Jabu's Belly.

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><p>Sheesh… okay. Wow. I did say this was going to be a long chapter didn't I? So maybe a few things might have been unnecessary, but hey. Some stories have a mind of their own, right? Should be only two more chapters until we get to Adult Link and Star Wars characters! Yay!<p>

I also realize there's another Great Fairy in Zora's Fountain, but the chapter was getting a little long so I decided I would use it in chapter nine instead. Anyway, I'm feeling mellow today so I'm simply going to remind all you limp fishies about the little 'review' button or the story alert button if you have not all ready subscribed.

Thanks for reading! :)


	8. Jabu Jabu's Belly

Chapter Eight: Jabu-Jabu's Belly

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><p>Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force<p>

Chapter: 8

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: Maybe I need to put up a sign, like a wooden one, with carved letters. Or a neon sign… that would work too. Ooh, even better: a visual display that follows you _everywhere_. Because that would make this disclaimer thing awfully… why are you still reading this? I own nothing. Seriously.

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

You know, maybe I'm cursed. Or just unlucky. Because I've noticed this strange abnormality between the number of viewers and the number of 'review'ers. (All of which are from the same person, though I assure you, I'm thankful.) I was just… kind of wondering why that is? Anyway, I'm blathering on about my personal issues and some of you are probably still reading this, aren't you? Yeah, I see you giving me that look… or, well, your computer does.

Agh, whatever. Just go… go read. I'm only writing this for my friend and I, right? (Somebody please prove me wrong… -cough-unlikely-cough-)

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><p>The first thing Link became aware of was how wet he was. And how dark it was… or at least he thought it was dark. Link frowned, and his eyes fluttered open as a flash of bright light bounced up and down across his line of sight.<p>

"Wake up!"

Link shielded his eyes as he recognized the white ball of light to be Navi bouncing around. "Ouch, Navi…" Link groaned, "Would you not try to blind me by doing that…"

Navi stopped fluttering around Link's face and sat on his shoulder as he sat up. "Sorry, Link…" she said sheepishly, "but you were unconscious for a moment there, and I wasn't about to try and dig around your hat for that stupid Pocket Cucco to get you to come around." She paused for a moment as Link rubbed his eyes.

"Speaking of… you might want to take a _look_ around…"

Link opened his eyes again and looked at her. "Is there any light to…"

But by the time Link realized it, he'd cut himself off to stare blankly at his surroundings. "Are we where I think we are?" Navi doused her light and hovered on the edge of his vision. "What do you think? Why else would the atmosphere be perpetually sticky and humid? Wait, don't answer that…"

Link shook himself. He'd seen quite a few strange things in the two days since Navi and come to him with the Deku Tree's summons in Kokiri Forest, but this… this was definitely the strangest thus far.

To put it simply, they'd been sucked inside Lord Jabu-Jabu, the guardian god of the Zoras, all the name of finding King Zora's daughter, Princess Ruto, and hopefully, the Spiritual Stone of Water. The mouth of said guardian god was actually brightly lit (though Link did not want to know how, except that maybe it was the same magic that had lit the inside of the Great Deku Tree) and colored with a peach-pink flesh tone throughout. It was also lined with two rows of mostly flat teeth, covered in saliva and water, and – strangely enough – had a door at the end of it.

Link stood up and debated with himself about drying himself off, but thought the better of it. They were inside a giant fish… they weren't going to get dry. Not for a long while, at least.

Then Link noticed there was some strange coral-shaped webbing on the door at the end of the room (and Link was determined to call it a room for his sanity's sake). He pointed it out to Navi, who looked up at the roof of Jabu-Jabu's mouth and motioned to a little white thing hanging from the top.

"My guess is you hit that. Doesn't look like there's anything else you can do about it, seeing as the only other things in this room are those two Octoroks that are swimming below the surface of that… water." Link chuckled and shot her an amused grin. "Let's just call it water… or we'll _both_ go insane." Then he checked the water and sighed. She was right about the Octoroks.

So Link took out his slingshot and Deku Seeds, edging towards the water step by step until the two slimy creatures broke the surface to attack their prey.

Thanks to the practice Link had gotten over the past two days, they went down faster than they went up, and Link was free to shoot the white thing on the ceiling. Once hit, the walls of the… room seemed to convulse a little and the brown stuff receded from the door, making Link frown, but he didn't comment. He was thankful Navi didn't either, though he could tell she was slightly disturbed as well. This was going to take some getting used to.

Link opened the fleshy door the same way he'd opened most of the doors from before, simply willing it to open and using a little more magic than was necessary to keep it open until he'd stepped completely through it.

Because the walls were _fleshy_… and _disgusting_.

He and Navi surveyed the room they'd entered, which was longer than it was wide, revealing other levels beneath theirs. Link tried to picture how exactly all this fit inside the fish, but gave up. It was a big fish. A big, magical fish. That was all he really needed (or wanted) to know.

None of the other doors were accessible except one: the one straight in front of him, There were also two things of note in that room, one of which was a strange, blue floating thing with tentacles that sparked slightly.

"Careful, Link!" Navi whispered into his ear as he approached, "That's a Biri, and they'll give you quite a shock if you try to use your sword on it! And your Slingshot won't work either, since it's mostly made of thin, gelatinous membranes…" Link raised an eyebrow but did as he was told and avoided the creature. There were also two boxes on the same ledge that led to the only accessible door in the room.

He and Navi just looked at them before shrugging and moving on.

The next room was considerably more confusing and disturbing, because not only was it just as blotchy peach-colored as the rest of the inside of Jabu-Jabu, but there were several creepy pulsing circles in the floor and one of them had a repulsively green looking vein threading through it, as well as several Biri that inhabited the room. There was one good thing, though…

Someone had been standing in the room when Link entered and had turned around to see who it was. Link's eyebrows shot up, not believing his eyes. Standing by one of the pulsing circles was a smaller Zora than most of the ones he'd seen in Zora's Domain. The fins on the fins on the arm and hip joints, though small, were slightly wavy like the ones he'd seen on the female Zora in the pool. Link cleared his throat and inclined his head to the Zora; just to be sure he had it right.

"You're Princess Ruto… right?"

The small female Zora frowned and her delicate features lifted into a snarl that was probably meant to seem ferocious, but ended up appearing more cutely annoyed than anything.

"What? Of course I am! Now who are you?" She couldn't quite decide whether to fold her arms or put her hands on her hips and so she ended up putting her left hand on her hip and letting her right fall limp against her side, her fist curled. Link glanced at Navi, who was floating on the left side of his vision now, and Navi just shrugged. Link sighed. He hadn't counted on encountering a snarky fish princess when he'd gotten up that morning…

Although, to be fair, he'd still been inside Dodongo's Cavern that morning.

"My name is Link, Princess…" Link began slowly and quietly, as if he hadn't noticed the Zora's crude manners, picking up speed as he went along so as not to give Princess Ruto any room to interrupt while he explained. "I was sent by Princess Zelda to see your father about the Spiritual Stone of Water, but then I was told that you were missing. When I found and gave your father the letter you'd sent, he sent _me_ in here to find you and bring you back."

Link let out the rest of his breath and took another one quickly so he could bow his head slightly to her again and finish with, "Now if you'll kindly come with me…" He'd hoped that she'd give in and come with him, but his instincts told him that was unlikely, and he had to refrain from sighing when she finally _did_ fold her arms and snap at him with her reply.

"Well! So you're saying that my father asked you to come save me? I'd never ask anyone to do such a thing!" She waved a hand at him flippantly as she looked him over. "Especially someone so scrawny and so… Hylian."

Link blinked, and looked at Navi again.

Navi, however, was strangely quiet, though it looked like she was having a hard time not saying anything. He suppressed a sigh and tried again, struggling to keep his expression neutral.

"But that letter you sent in that bottle? What about that? Surely it was you who sent it?" It _had_ been her that had sent it; her father had said as much. But, if his instincts were going to be right again, she was probably going to refuse to acknowledge ever writing it and babble on about useless junk…

Princess Ruto scoffed.

"'Letter in a Bottle?' I have no idea what you're talking about. And you know what? I don't care if my father is worried about me! I can't go home right now, so why don't you just go away and tell my father to… to _stop_ worrying about me, all right? Go on!" Then she turned around and ran off, running over one of the pulsing circles and getting _sucked down into it_.

Right on cue… and really bad timing.

"You're going to have to follow her, you know that right?" Navi said flatly, as if the previous conversation had never happened. Link stared at the circle she'd run into and sighed. "Yeah… I do. Thanks for not snapping at her by the way. I really appreciate that." Navi folded her arms and echoed Link's sigh. "I think I finally understand why you kept telling me to shut up…"

Link glanced in her direction and smiled. "For the record Navi, you weren't that bad…" She returned the smile and stared back at the pulsing circle.

"Thanks, Link. Well, come on… I don't exactly think she's going to be waiting for us down there." Link groaned. "Ugh… I'll be glad when this is over." Navi chuckled and hid in his hat as Link closed his eyes, and taking in a single, shuddering breath, stepped into the slimy, throbbing flesh.

Long story short, Link was glad he already had some experience with unexpectedly falling from the ceiling because once the disgusting, claustrophobic feeling had passed; he was falling down through the air to land on more squishy flesh below. Link stood up, shaking himself and glancing in the direction of a very feminine sigh off to his right.

"Are you still hanging around here? I thought I told you to go away!"

Link turned to Ruto, a wry smile sneaking its way onto his passive face.

"Well actually, I'm technically _falling_ around here, and yes you did tell me to go away." He checked himself and set his expression again as he met Ruto's eyes. "But I was given an order, and I can't just leave you here."

Ruto breathed sharply through her nose and folded her arms again. "Well, you don't have to worry about _me_… I've been going into Lord Jabu-Jabu's Belly since I was little!" Link watched her carefully as she spoke, his eyes only leaving Ruto's for a moment to see movement behind her… a Biri!

"Princess, look out!" Link didn't bother with dodging around Ruto, he simply dug her out of the way and aimed a diagonal slash for the Biri.

"Link!" Navi cried, "I told you they conducted electricity!" Link had dropped his sword when the Biri dissolved in the air, sending a shockwave up his sword arm and making him cringe with pain. It became numb after a few moments, and seconds later began to regain feeling, though the little pins and needles that crawled across his skin were just as painful as the initial shockwave. He gave Ruto a look, and was surprised to see her haughty expression had melted into a mixture of fear and apprehension.

"Well… Lord Jabu-Jabu has been acting very strange today…"

Link picked up his sword once the pins and needles had dissipated. "Strange? Strange how?" Ruto shook herself and her features regained a little of the arrogance from before. "There are all these electrified jellyfish and holes around and my precious stone was…" She paused, and then scoffed slightly.

"Well, _that's_ none of _your_ business!" Link sighed, exasperated. "Princess Ruto, if it involves the Spiritual Stone of Water, it _is_ my business! The Princess of Destiny sent me to collect the Stones to prevent a lot of bad things from happening!" Ruto blinked at him. "Princess of… Destiny? You mean Zelda?" She thought for a moment, but simply shrugged and waved him away again.

"Look, I don't care whether Zelda or her father gave you the order, I don't have the Stone anyway! Just go home! Do you understand me?"

Link let his shoulders slump as he glared at her.

She was _really_ starting to get on his nerves…

"Are you that worried about me?" Ruto said after he'd stood there with that same dead-patient expression plastered to his face. He wasn't, not really, but he'd keep his mouth shut if all it took to get her to cave was a few moments of awkward silence. She didn't care about his lack of response, though.

She grinned at him, which made him stand up straight. From what he could tell about Princess Ruto, that grin meant bad news.

"Well fine then! I'll give you the honor of carrying me!"

Link just stared at her, only just managing to keep both sections of his mouth from doing a very good impression of a fish. She wasn't serious, was she?

"Excuse me, Princess?" Link managed to splutter, "But why would I carry you again?" Ruto simply rolled her eyes at him as if he were too stupid to see what was in front of him. "Well, I'm not leaving until I find what I'm looking for and you have an order to fulfill, right? Help me out and I'll help you out. Really, it's _so_ simple." She smiled and blinked prettily at him.

Link shot another half-glare at her before sighing and muttering to himself.

"Fine, fine! You're really… really something aren't you?"

She blinked, staring at him with this confused expression on her face. "What do you mean?" Link waved the comment away with his right hand and asked her to sit. Ruto complied, pulling her knees up to her chest and locking her hands around them. Link stood behind her, debating with himself on how to best approach this, but eventually gave up and picked her up as he would have picked up a Bomb Flower. Not that she wasn't any less explosive…

"Hey! Be careful how you're holding me!"

Link glanced up in her direction as he turned around and walked through the door (it was somehow easier to think of them as doors while carrying _her_) on their level of the room that didn't involve climbing up anything. He was pretty sure that Ruto wasn't really into that sort of adventuring. Or adventuring of any sort, rather.

"Well, you didn't specify how you wanted to be carried Princess," Link said airily, and with a slightly smile on his face, "and I'm only a messenger."

Ruto, her options now limited, simply shot a glare in his direction.

Link walked quickly down the hallway, all business now, avoiding the huge bubbles that Navi had informed him would damage him if he came in contact with them. Apparently they were gas bubbles that… well he didn't want to go into Navi's explanation of them. She'd otherwise stayed silent while in the presence of Ruto, and Link was thankful the two of them weren't at it snapping at each other…

Finally the hallway opened out into a long room with a few bulbous flesh stalactites hanging from the ceiling, more floating bubbles, one shallow pool of water separating the two sides of the room with a white thing (that looked suspiciously like a pressure-switch of some kind) placed in the center, and a climb-able wall on the right side with a gold-colored Skulltula twitching in loud circles on its surface.

"Eek!" Ruto squealed, "Kill that spider thing on the wall! It's disgusting!"

Link glanced up at Ruto as he jumped down into the pool and tossed her up onto the ledge opposite the hallway they'd exited. "It's just a spider, Princess. You're bigger than it is, and that particular kind of Skulltula isn't interested in hurting anyone unless you get too close. Now just sit tight while I handle this, okay?" Ruto looked like she'd been slapped when Link turned his back to her to raise the water level. Just before he stepped on the squishy white switch, he picked off the gold-colored Skulltula for Ruto's sake, and raised an eyebrow at the things swimming in the water around him.

"Hey Navi? What are those?" Navi peered at them from her perch on his right shoulder. "I think they're called Stingers… they won't attack you as long as they're underwater, but if they jump out, make sure they don't hit you."

"Let me guess," said Link as he jumped on the switch, "their sting is quite… electrifying?" Navi rolled her eyes and sighed as Link chuckled to himself.

Ruto observed the interactions between the boy Link and his fairy and felt a little jealous of him. Most of the other Zora children weren't nearly as close to her as they were, and it was kind of… lonely. Not that she'd ever say it out loud, but she was allowed personal feelings, right? As long as they were kept personal, they didn't matter much.

Once Link climbed up to her side, he picked her back up and continued down the hallway until they came to another 'locked' door and a white switch on the ceiling. Navi smiled to herself as an idea struck her, and she flew close to Link's ear and whispered, "Hey, do you think you could 'accidentally' hit that thing with her?" Link shot her a look, and Navi simply shrugged as if to say, 'Hey, it was worth a shot.'

Link shook his head and set Ruto down as he found his Slingshot and aimed for the switch.

_Yeah, it's worth a shot if you're not on the receiving end…_

Once the door was clear Link picked Ruto up again and entered it. He had to sidestep quickly to avoid being hit by the Octorok on the other side, and he had to make quick work of his marksmanship in order to make the platform above them come down to their level so they could board it.

"Hey! Nice work, Link!" Navi complimented her partner, grinning.

"Thanks, Navi." He flashed her a smile Ruto couldn't see because he'd picked her up again. Though she could admit to herself that the way he'd taken down that Octorok had been pretty badass, she wasn't actually going to _say_ that it had been. That would be cheating. Or something.

The platform rose up and Link stepped off onto a familiar ledge. "Hey, we were in this room before…" He shot a pointed glance at Navi, who pointed to the room they'd first found Ruto in. "It cycles through… but I really don't want to go into the purpose of that in terms of how it relates to, well…" Link huffed softly through his nose. "Yeah, neither do I, really…'

Navi nodded, grateful she wouldn't have to explain the purposes of giant fish anatomy out loud. They were weird enough in her head. "We should go back to that room," she pointed to the door again, "because there's more to it. Before, um… before the Lady Princess fell through the sifting circles, I saw another hallway at the back of the room. We need to go down there and see what we can find."

Link gave her a skeptical look at the Lady Princess comment, but she briefly gestured to Ruto and Link rolled his eyes. Right… keep the crabby fish princess happy. Okay, fine. He wasn't about to start calling her 'Lady' Princess anytime soon, though. Just 'Princess' would have to suffice.

So he entered the room again and navigated the circles while still carrying Ruto. As he was approaching the door, Navi called out to Link, "Hey, look out!" Link squealed a very girlish type squeal as he made another deft sidestep to avoid being hit by a huge, fat Biri… well it would have actually hit the Princess, but that wouldn't have been a good thing either. Though his girlish squeal had luckily been overridden by Ruto's scream, so it was all right. He walked down the hallway for a bit before setting Ruto down and asking her if she was hurt.

She shook her head, still speechless, and was giving him a strange look as if he'd grown a second head or something. Maybe she just wasn't used to seeing people really care about her.

Link shrugged mentally and picked her back up, heading through another door and continuing down the hallway. They shortly reached a three-way fork in the path where Link was forced to make a snap-decision direction wise because of some strange new tentacle-like enemies that followed them around. Navi advised that Link go right (something about it having the only useful door accessible to them at the moment) and he did so quickly, coming to another two-pronged fork that was blocked by a grey-colored pulsing vein on the left. Link's features crumpled with disgust, and he glanced at the bluish-white pressure switch nearby.

"Looks like it'll take more than your weight to press it down… but you shouldn't need to keep anything on it." Navi supplied, and watched as Link hopped on it while holding Ruto and unlocked the door. They exited into a seemingly empty room, though Link wasn't fooled. He set Princess Ruto down and pulled out the Fairy Slingshot, watching for movement in the watery flesh. He stood still for some time until finally he spotted them.

Stingers. And it looked like there were four of them.

"So I just step near them to draw them out?" He asked Navi. She nodded to him and targeted one by circling it and glowing a bright green. "This one! Over here!" Link followed her as he stepped closer and it surfaced, splashing water and displaying its sharp stingers. "Hit it, Link!" Navi called, trilling with a bell-like sound to keep his attention on her. Link fired off two shots and it went down, and he let Navi target the others one by one.

One managed to snag him while it was surfacing, but it was just a scratch, hardly worth looking at until later, so he continued to pick them off until all four Stingers had been eradicated from the water. Link had to steady his feet for a moment, cause he'd fired a few shots that had missed the sneaky blighters, so Jabu-Jabu's flesh twitched in discomfort at the pain for a moment or two before it was safe to start walking again. Of course, by that time, the defeat of all four Stingers had triggered a release of magic that summoned a chest in the middle of the room.

Link walked up to it and unlatched it, pulling out a curved piece of yellow-colored metal adorned with a circlet of silver at its joint. "Hey, that's a Boomerang!" Ruto cried out, leaving the doorway to observe the weapon. "I've been looking all over Jabu-Jabu's Belly for one since my mother said she'd lost one in here…" She made to reach for it, but Link snapped it away just out of her reach.

"Hey! I defeated those things… it's only fair I get the spoils they leave behind." Link shot Ruto a sharp look.

"Do you even know how to use one of these?" Ruto stopped for a moment, doing the very same fish impression Link had managed to rescue himself from a little while ago. Then she gave him a similar look and turned it around on him saying, "Well, not really… but do _you_ know how to use one?"

Well, in theory he did. He'd seen Linder use one before in the training grounds when Link had asked him to show him how it worked. He knew the proper wrist movement for it, even though Linder hadn't let him use one…

"I do, actually." He stuffed the Boomerang into his hat. "Now come on. We still haven't found that Stone, so we need to keep moving."

Ruto sighed and sat down, allowing Link to pick her up and carry her to the left side of the previous hallway, where there was a second two-pronged fork that had an orange-colored pulsing vein on the right side of the fork instead. Link set Ruto down on the pressure switch and told her to stay there before quickly running off through the door to the room beyond.

"Ugh," Link spat under his breath, "what on Din's good earth is that?"

Navi frowned as they watched the long flesh thing that hung from the ceiling swing languidly back and forth. "I think it's called a parasitic tentacle… something deeper inside Lord Jabu-Jabu must be causing them to appear."

"So that's what those weird vein things are?" Navi nodded. "I guess so. You should be able to use the Boomerang to hit the thin point in the middle if you get close." Link nodded. "Would you target it for me?" Navi grinned at him. "It's so nice of you to ask." The two ran off, Link getting in close as Navi's bright glow shifted to green and circled around the thin point of the tentacle.

Link twisted his wrist in the familiar motion that Linder had showed him years ago and sent the Boomerang flying. It's sharp metal slashed through the tentacle like butter, drawing a welt of bright, oozing blood. The boomerang came back, and Link caught it with a grin as he rolled to the side to dodge the tentacle's backlash. Link missed twice, the first time out of overconfidence and (as result, he was almost hit) the second time because his wrist wasn't aligned properly. But he centered himself and sent the Boomerang spinning through the tentacle twice more, leaving it to disintegrate into multiple gooey pieces that it took all of Link's skill to avoid being hit by.

While they probably weren't poisonous, Link didn't want to be covered in their remains… he was already wet enough as it was with water and sweat.

A chest appeared in the center and Link unlatched it, climbing in and retrieving the map inside.

"Seriously?" Navi asked incredulously, "There's a map to this thing?"

Link shrugged and studied the map carefully, noting another room nearby that was labeled 'Compass' and frowning when he found a room off to one side that was labeled 'Exit'. He glanced at Navi. "Do I really want to know?" Navi's brows pinched and her nose wrinkled in disgust. "Probably not…"

Link just sighed and stuffed it in his hat, turning around and exiting the room while mentally preparing himself for Ruto's inevitable tirade…

"How inconsiderate!" Princess Ruto shouted, waving a scolding finger in Link's direction, "How could you leave me behind? If you're a man, act like one! Take responsibility!" Link simply raised his eyebrows and said, deadpan, "Princess, I'm just a kid. And I had to leave you behind cause you had to hold down the switch for me." As an afterthought he added, "You were actually helping me to help you find the stone, really. That's all it was."

She seemed to perk up at that and allowed Link to carry her off down the other side of the fork and through the door.

"It's a room full of bubbles…" Ruto said as Link set her down and he pulled out his Boomerang so he could dispose of them easily. "What's the big deal about it?" Link caught the Boomerang after one throw and looked back as he threw it towards another bubble. "Target practice," he said simply.

Ruto shrugged. This boy was just… weird.

Once all the bubbles were gone, another chest appeared, this one containing a compass with little Zora emblems on the side, marking it as specific to this place only. "I suppose I don't want to know why there's a compass here either," Link said idly to the fairy, who shook her head quickly. Ruto smiled a secret smile, once again envying their friendship.

They made her laugh, the two of them.

Link carried her back to the right fork of the main hallway and chose the left branch now that it was clear. They entered the room and Link quickly set Ruto down once he caught sight of the grey thing hanging from the ceiling.

"Ew…" Princess Ruto muttered, hugging close to the doorway, "what is that?" Link looked back as he stepped close to the thing and his fairy flashed green around the thin point up at the top. "Navi says it's called a parasitic tentacle," he shouted back to her, flicking his wrist in one direction to cast the Boomerang with little effort, catching it, and rolling out of the way as the tentacle snapped back in his direction.

"Parasitic tentacle?" Ruto gasped, "That's a parasitic tentacle?" Link spared a glance in her direction as he repeated the process. "You mean you know what these things are?" Ruto nodded, but Link was too busy rolling out of the way to notice. "My mother told me she'd seen one when she was my age… back when Lord Jabu-Jabu had been plagued by a parasitic electric anemone called Barinade. If these are appearing again…" Link back flipped out of the way of the falling remains, the flesh that made up the room shaking in its wake. Link shook himself as he steadied his feet to turn to Ruto.

To his surprise, Ruto giggled. He blinked owlishly at her. "What, do I have something on my face?" She shook her head and pointed to his hat. "It's on your hat, actually." Link quickly took off his hat and wrinkled his nose at it.

"Ugh, gross!" It was surprisingly easy to wipe the stuff off, though. Still, he made sure to ask Ruto (politely) if she'd like to continue to be carried. The air of friendship they'd shared for the brief moment was gone as her 'Princess' air returned and she sat back down, waiting patiently for him to pick her up.

_Well, she's at least being polite about things now…_

Maybe it was an improvement or something. Link picked her up and held her effortlessly over his head as he went through the middle hallway this time, heading through the door and setting her down as they encountered yet another parasitic tentacle, this one being green rather than grey.

Link didn't need to be told twice how to defeat them now.

When he was done, he breathed out the rest of his air in one forced sigh, resetting his center and glancing up at Navi. "That should be the last of them, right?" Navi nodded. "And I remember seeing a green tentacle in the main room with the sifting circles. I'm betting we need to go through that circle to progress through Lord Jabu-Jabu." Link groaned. "Not those circles again…"

Navi shrugged. "I'm pretty sure which circle it was…"

Link shot her a pointed look. "You'd better… falling through those things is disturbing, especially when you think about what they are exactly in relation to well… you know." Navi cringed. "Yeah, I get your point."

Ruto just let herself enjoy another secret smile at the exchange,

So Link picked her up and navigated through the hallway around the creepy glowing snake things that followed the around and Navi directed him to the hole that the tentacle had apparently been blocking. Link closed his eyes and jumped down, careful to land just right so he didn't offset Ruto's weight in his hands. He looked around and saw only one door on the level they'd landed on, so he decided to go ahead and take it. The Skulltulas on the wall could stay there even if both Navi _and_ Ruto had decided to complain about them. He wasn't going to turn into some girl's spider killer…

They entered the door and Ruto squealed in delight, wriggling in Link's hands as the door shut behind them with a disgusting squelching sound.

"Oh, that's it! That's what I've been looking for! Throw me up there, onto the platform!" Link winced. "Okay, okay! Fine! Stop squirming for a second and I'll do that! Ouch, that was my sword hand!"

Finally Ruto did stop squirming and Link tossed her onto the circular platform in the middle of the room. She ran up to the thing on the platform, giggling with sheer delight. When she picked it up and turned around to face Link, the world seemed to calm instantly once he saw what was in her hands.

Even from the distance between them, Link could feel the preternatural calm emanating from the thing in Ruto's hands: the Spiritual Stone of Water. It looked like the other stones, only it was shaped like a snowflake, with three of the circular pieces inlaid with sparkling sapphires, the gold encasing the gems glittering in the magic light of Jabu-Jabu's Belly. And there was something else, too… something that set this stone apart from the others.

But Link was too far away to tell.

Princess Ruto was cradling the Stone in her hands, crooning to it softly.

"Oh, goddesses… I finally found my mother's stone!" Link leaned forward a little and squinted at Ruto. Were those tears in her eyes? "I was very upset when Lord Jabu-Jabu swallowed it… you see, when I was feeding him the other day, Lord Jabu-Jabu suddenly swallowed me! I was so surprised that I dropped it inside and some… some infernal monster carried it off!"

She stopped for a moment to taper her anger and wipe something away from her face. Link couldn't be sure, but he was pretty sure they'd been tears…

"But now that I've found it, I don't need to stay in here anymore. So… would you take me home now, Link?" Link's eyebrows rose. Did she actually _ask_ him to take her home? "Of course," he said quickly, before she could realize she'd spoken to him with such softness.

So Link took a step forward to help Ruto off the platform when suddenly the platform gave a jolt and Ruto yelped, falling backwards.

"Princess!" Link called after her. But it was too late. The platform had already risen to the ceiling and locked into place. All was quiet for a few moments, but Link suddenly had a bad feeling about this. He wasn't even surprised when he heard Ruto scream loudly from the room above.

"Keeeyaaaah! What is this? An octopus?"

Then he heard another scream that was quickly cut off and the platform began to descend. Link scrambled for his Boomerang, because his instincts were screaming at him to scramble for it before the platform fully locked with the ground again. Turned out it was a good thing he had…

…because suddenly the door behind him locked and a giant purple _thing_ jumped off of the platform a started chasing him around it as it spun, the spikes around it threatening to nick his ankles if he got too close.

"Navi?" he yelled after his fairy, "Please tell me this thing has a weakness!"

"It does, it does!" she yelled back, flying beside him as he ran, "Just stun him with your boomerang until he turns around! There should be an opening there!" It was a little difficult to shoot a glare at the fairy as he was running, but Link managed it. "And how am I supposed to do that?"

"You could try turning around!" Gee, like he hadn't thought of that.

Link groaned to himself and threw the thing blind as he turned, making sure to flick his wrist properly anyway. It hit the creature all right, stunning it, but it wasn't coming back like it should. He growled slightly and cast out his hand, calling out for the boomerang to come back to him. There was a slight draw on his magic power, but the angled piece of metal did indeed make the strangest impossible arc back to him and his hand.

He stared at it for a moment before bringing his mind back to the task at hand. He drew his sword, now faced with a glowing green circle that served as the creature's weak point, and gave a good many slashes before the stun had worn off and it turned itself in circles and began chasing him again.

It was difficult (and he'd gotten run over the thing more times than he could count) but he repeated the process three more times and finally it let out a hissing sound and melted into the water at Link's feet.

He groaned, feeling the places where he was most definitely going to bruise.

"Sheesh, what was that, Navi?" Navi, her hair a little mussed and slightly more askew that usual replied, "A Big Octo, I think. Does it really matter?"

Link shrugged, his head a little fuzzy from the ordeal. He just sighed and climbed on top of the no longer moving platform and waited as it brought him to the top. He frowned once he stepped off of it, because something was missing when he arrived: where was Ruto?

"She had to have been brought here, right?" He asked Navi quietly. Navi nodded, but didn't say anything. Link saw a nearby pot glowing a soft pink, and that reminded him what Navi had said about them in Dodongo's Cavern.

He broke the jar and released the fairy inside.

"Hey, would you help me out and heal me as much as you can? I'd be really grateful for that, thank you." The little pink fairy just chimed happily. "Of course! I'd be happy to help you!" It fluttered about him, dousing him with healing magic until she disappeared.

Link shook himself, the healing magic buzzing through his veins like the time he'd eaten a whole batch of Fado's sugar treats.

"Wow! That stuff really wakes you up, doesn't it?" Navi floated away from him slowly, looking him over to make sure the magic hadn't addled his brain. "Of course, it's healing magic. Now come on, we have to find Ruto and the Stone!" Link sobered up at that, and he followed Navi down the only adjacent hallway into the next room.

Still no Ruto, but there was an Octorok that Link took the time to take out before approaching the strange wiggling red platforms. He also noticed that this room wasn't quite fleshy like the others (seeing as the walls were hard and gray colored), which set up blinkers in Link's mind he chose to ignore.

"What am I supposed to do here, hit them?" He threw his boomerang at one experimentally, surprised to find that it stopped wiggling when hit and turned and curious shade of blue. "Well, that's interesting…"

But he didn't stop to think about it because he had things to do, so he repeated the process with the other wiggling red thing and exited the room.

He came back out in a small room with (fleshy walls again that moved as blood pulsed through them) a path leading to a platform on the other side, but with the things he'd seen lately, Link took a guess that it was more than it appeared. And it did indeed start to descend once he'd jumped on it, setting him back down in the room with the crates and giving him access to a door he hadn't been able to access before.

The door, unfortunately, required constant pressure to keep it open, but Navi pointed out that the crates would work just fine to keep it down.

"I guess they do have a function," she mused.

Link chuckled. "Yeah, go figure."

So they left a box on the switch and entered the door into another gray-walled room that, according to the map, led to a central processing room of some sort that was the only room they hadn't checked yet. Aside from the 'exit' room of course, but it was highly unlikely that Ruto would be there.

Link picked off the Biri floating about the room with the boomerang and climbed the side of a high wall that led to a ledge on level with another funny looking white switch that (Link assumed) opened the only other door in the room, which was currently locked. Some strange sort-of-clear, yet solid, sticky material surrounded the switch, so Link had to use the boomerang to hit it and unlock the door. He climbed back down and hurried to the door, but stopped to catch his breath.

"What do you think… is on the other side?" he asked Navi.

"Not that Barinade thing Ruto was talking about, I hope." Link frowned once she mentioned it. He had a sneaking suspicion that was _exactly_ what waited for them on the other side. He sighed and opened the door, brandishing the boomerang and taking a deep breath to calm his nerves.

When Link entered the room and the door closed _completely_ behind him, Link knew that somehow, he'd been right about Barinade.

The room he'd stepped into had, at first, appeared to be very dark… but in a flash it was revealed that all was not as it appeared to be, and the crackling electricity of several Bari, larger jelly things that were cousins of the Biri, alerted Link to the presence of the grotesque creature in the middle of the room.

It was pink, and red, and streaked with blue and purple veins all along its bulbous body, with several pink suction things connecting it to the ceiling. Ugh, this thing really was a parasite…

"No wonder Lord Jabu-Jabu was a little green around the gills…" Link muttered. "Yeah," Navi scoffed, "I would be too…"

Suddenly the room flashed brightly and the Barinade creature began sparking with electricity too, calling the Bari to it like a magnet until they covered its entire body. Link stared at it, looking for any kind of spot, a target, anything.

"Uh, Navi? I know there's a risk of death by electrocution and all thanks to… well, _that_," Link gestured to the creature, "but I could really use your help in figuring out just exactly what the shoot at?" Navi flew off in the direction of Barinade. "I'm already on it!"

Link sighed. "Thank Din for Guardian Fairies…"

"Start by severing the tendons attached to the ceiling!" Navi shouted, burning a fierce bright green around the pink things that pulsed as it siphoned off some of Lord Jabu-Jabu's blood. Some of the suction cup things pried themselves away from the ceiling and began shooting white-hot arcs of electricity in Link's direction because it sensed he was a threat.

Damn right, he was a threat. Link side jumped out of the way of an arc, flicking his wrist just so that the boomerang cut through two out of the three tendons in one go! He caught it, rolled off to the left to throw the anemone off its game, and flicked his wrist again to cut off the last tendon.

Once free, the Bari on Barinade's body peeled off, though they were still connected to it by streams of bright sparks. Then they began to spin around in a wide, slow circle around Barinade's body, which Navi began circling around next.

"Get in close and stun it! Then attack the Bari while they're disconnected from Barinade!" Link nodded as he tossed the boomerang again, drawing his sword as the angular piece of metal passed through Barinade and turned it a familiar shade of blue. Link caught the boomerang with his right hand and slid it into a belt loop for now; he guessed he might need it in a minute.

Then he went around spinning and rolling and slashing at the Bari, and managed to get all but two, so he had to repeat the process before they were all gone.

"Attack it, Link!" Link complied and slashed Barinade once with the Kokiri Sword, but had to jump backwards because just then it began lifting itself out of Jabu-Jabu's flesh and spinning around the area with _more_ electrified Bari.

"What? Didn't I just kill those off?" He shook his head. "No time for that! Navi, I need a target point so I can stun it again! Can you find one for me?"

He rolled out of the way from a stray blast fired in his direction.

This time, Navi circled Barinade's middle and glowed an angry banana yellow. "Over here! Just throw it, trust me!"

Link trusted Navi with his life, and so he threw the boomerang. It bounded off once, twice, but he pushed back some of his fear and stepped a little closer, finally hitting its middle. "Kill them off again," Navi cried out, "and maybe this time they'll stay dead!"

"I hope so," Link muttered to himself as he threw the boomerang with his right and slashed his sword with his left.

He'd gotten all but one, having to repeat the process for the _fourth damned time_, but eventually all the Bari were eradicated and Barinade was now spinning crazily around the room, unprotected and defenseless… well, mostly defenseless. It was still shooting out considerable amounts of electricity, though it no longer had any pattern to its movements.

"I doubt you need to be told what to do here?" Navi asked him smugly.

Link grinned. "No, thank you."

He tossed his boomerang at it one final time, and began slashing at it like mad as it sank to the ground, bearing its huge, swollen middle for Link's slashing pleasure. And he went at it like he hadn't done before… was he getting faster? Maybe that was just his imagination.

Either way, the creature's death screeches certainly weren't part of Link's imagination. He stepped back to watch as it broke out in disgusting splotches and puffy patches of ooze and pus all over its body, green gunk blowing off onto the sides and more oozing patches forming over the blown area until…

BOO-PLOOSH!

Link blinked. All around him was this sticky, smelly green gunk and… and he was absolutely, positively, completely covered in it.

"Uh, uh… uh… ew." Link could only whimper. Simply moving was just… no.

Even Navi was covered in it. She just blinked quickly and tried to keep herself from crying. Suddenly, there was a sharp cry off to their right, and they turned, wincing as the slimy green stuff sent cold shivers up their spines. They saw the soft circle of warm, blue light and Link blinked in surprise when he saw who was standing there waiting for them.

"Princess!" He ignored the green gunk that was all over him and ran over, Navi just clinging to his shirt while she attempted to keep her composure.

"You… you're late! What took you so long? You're useless!" There was a strange pink tint coloring her cheeks that Link could almost perceive as a blush, but he wasn't in the mood to squint at Ruto was all this… stuff covering him. She wrinkled her nose. "And what the hell are you covered in?" Link raised a single blond eyebrow and said simply, "Princess, you _really_ don't want to know. _I_ don't want to know. I just want to get _clean._ Now if we could skip the insults and get around to doing just that, I would be grateful, thanks,"

She blinked, a little stunned by Link's bluntness.

"Oh, well… okay. I was just… lonely that was all." Link managed a smile. "Well, you're not lonely anymore, Princess. We're friends, right?" Ruto's cheeks flushed again and she avoided meeting Link's eyes. "Yeah… I guess." Then she looked up, all traces of the blush gone from her face.

"But call me Ruto, all right?" Link smiled again. "All right."

* * *

><p>Now I'm going to have to hurry up with chapter nine so Link can get clean… ugh. Just imagining all that gunk covering him and everything is just… (shudders) Yeah. Nasty.<p>

Anyway, I hope you liked my portrayal of Ruto, seeing as the game doesn't give much in the way of expression and voice intonation. All they can really do is just try and punctuate it so people might get that they're mad or sad or whatever. But they do try, so yeah. Give them credit for that. And the manga sort of makes a speed-run through the whole dungeon, so you don't get to see the progression that Ruto makes through the dungeon there either.

So now I'm going to stop ranting now and sign off cause I really need to proofread this before I put this up, farm my stuff on Farmville, and go to bed. Yes, I farm. At three in the morning apparently…

Thanks for reading! :)


	9. Fate's Retribution

Chapter Nine: Fate's Retribution

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><p>Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force<p>

Chapter: 9

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: If I owned this, I'd own my reviewers too. As in, 'I'd own their hearts and minds so much that even flamers would have something to say!' Evidently: I don't. So I own nothing.

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

Okay, it's official. I am _seriously_ unlucky. I mean come on, people! I showered… recently. Well, anyway, people _are_ still reading this according to my story stats, so… you can keep on reading from the shadows if you like, giving no input or help to me at all. Ever. For eternity. Of course, this isn't helping, is it? No, of course not.

You know, sarcasm is _really_ hard to convey to someone in plain text. Well, go on. Go, shoo. Read. (And no, I'm not sorry for my lateness. I had a sunburn and couldn't move my arms. That is, if anyone cares. That means someone _besides_ you, Writer.)

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><p>Ashei had long since trudged back across Hyrule Field with her catch of five greengill, the net strap slung over her shoulder with the weight of the fish swinging against her left thigh. She had crept through the town with her usual way of slipping though the shadows, and eventually turned the corner to run up the steps into the Temple Garden.<p>

She stopped for a moment, frowning at the pretty flowers and the lush green grasses as if they didn't belong there. Well, something didn't belong. But everything that was here had been here when she'd left. Nothing was out of place in the garden. Though she did give the area another sweep with her Sight, just to be sure.

The afternoon sun cast long shadows of the little groves of trees on the left and right of the Temple, and her gaze followed their path up to the Hyrule Castle spires.

Maybe everything in the Temple Garden was all that it appeared to be…

…but that didn't mean all was well elsewhere.

Ashei, still frowning, took one last look at the spires and knew that something somewhere was about to go very, very wrong. Her heartbeat quickened, and the little hairs on her arms rose in apprehension. She wanted to run.

So she did. Turning quickly on her heels she hopped the fence by vaulting over the Whispering Stones, then she ran through the grass along the right-side length of the Temple, the stones racing past her sight as she let the instinct take over. Listening to them had kept her alive this long at least. Maybe she was right to run. When the thin, finely spaced grove of trees thickened into an almost forest along the far wall, and she knew she was almost safe.

Ashei quickly turned the corner to her left around the back of the Temple, kneeling in the dirt and scrambling for the camouflaged latch that opened the way into a tunnel underneath the ground.

Finally her fingers found the cool metal and she threw the door open, flying down the steps into the darkness and closing the door behind her as she did so, the outside latch automatically clicking behind her. Ashei quickly called a small flame to her fingers as her boots slammed against the stones of the long, dark tunnel that went under the wall behind the temple. She saw the door before she got to it, but her body slammed against it anyway. Even knowing there was no possible way something could have followed her, her hands still trembled as she fumbled with the bolt-locks and the hidden latch.

She opened this door as well and pressed it firmly against the frame once she was inside, sliding against the fine wood and sinking to the floor.

By the time she realized her guardian was late for their meeting, she thought she could hear the distant screams from aboveground, echoing faintly through the halls of the complex labyrinth she called her home.

Yes, something was indeed very, very wrong.

.oOo.

Auru's fingers clutched the hilt of the curved saber he wore along the left side of his battle robes. They looked very similar to the ceremonial robes he should be wearing instead, but only Impa, the King, and a few others actually knew what they looked like, and he very much doubted the King would know to look for the precise cuts in the cloth that told the two sets of robes apart.

The sword was the same, supposedly ceremonial, but was in fact a proper fighter's blade. It looked every inch like a ceremonial, being so shiny and decorated in scarlet jewels along the hilt – which the fingers of his left hand now grasped so tightly his knuckles had gone white – but wasn't.

Auru currently stood at the King's left side while the young king beside him watched the procession with that quiet dignified air most of the nobility possessed. His daughter, the Princess Zelda, stood on his right, flanked by her attendant Impa. Auru was glad for her presence, though the feeling of impending doom and the thought that the beats of his heart could very well be numbered today sent shivers down his spine.

The King raised a fine brown eyebrow in his direction, though his body was still watching the Desert King Ganondorf and his entourage proceed down the long red carpet of the throne room. Auru shook his head slightly, wanting desperately to warn his charge, but remembering he had already done so.

Last night… had been a disaster. And today?

Today would likely end in disaster as well. Bloodshed… and disaster.

.oOo.

Link opened his eyes to the sound of someone giggling very loudly, and very near his face. Gradually, his sight cleared and he blinked and when reality finally set in he gasped and took a step back, only to find that he and Princess Ruto were standing on a log in Zora's Fountain, and that there wasn't any more log _to_ step on. And naturally, he screamed as he fell backwards into the water.

He quickly righted himself, taking in a large gulp of air as he surfaced. Well, at least now he was clean, though the water had sort of taken on a slightly greenish tint he swam away from it towards the direction of the log, glancing distrustfully at the clearing water. Someone giggled girlishly, and he quickly looked up in the direction of the laughter.

Of course, it was Princess Ruto.

"You liked watching me fall off, didn't you?" More laughter. Link sighed.

She winked in his direction and gracefully dived off the log, surfacing quickly and swimming up to him with a peculiar grin spread across her face that made Link want to run _very_ far away.

"You know," Princess Ruto said slowly, "even covered in that gunk, you still looked pretty cool." She paused a moment and her expression briefly morphed into one of shock before she grinned up at him again and floated just a little closer to him. What was with this girl?

"Well, you looked cooler than I thought you would, anyway… just a little!"

Link paddled away from her and shot her a look before replying with, "Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Then he grabbed his hat and dipped his hair back in the water to free the remaining bits of it that were still clumped with Barinade guts. Ruto shrugged.

"I guess. Well anyway, you did save me, so I _suppose_ I should give you some sort of reward. What is it you wish? You can ask for anything!"

_How about swimming a little less close to me?_

Ruto had stayed where she was while he cleaned the rest of his hair, but was once again a little too close for comfort.

Sheesh, did she even know about the _concept_ of personal space?

Link suppressed a sigh and remembered that she still had the Spiritual Stone of Water. He really couldn't wait to go back to the forest once he delivered these stones to Princess Zelda.

"I need that Spiritual Stone, Princess… and a little space if you don't mind." She blinked, glanced at the water, and giggled sharply as she moved away.

"You mean the Spiritual Stone of Water, the Zora's Sapphire, right?"

Link nodded, back to business. "I can understand if it means a lot to your people, Princess. The Great Deku Tree gave me the Emerald when I left the forest, and it means a lot to the Kokiri. It's the same with the Gorons and the Ruby. But I'll take good care of it in the meantime, I promise."

Ruto looked at him then, really looked at him. She saw something in his eyes that made her feel safe, and cared for, and… _loved_. She tossed away her mischievous grin and flashed a tiny, genuine smile up at him instead.

"It is very precious… but it's more precious to my family than my people."

Link tilted his head. "Really? How so?" Ruto smiled at him again. "Well, my mother gave it to me and said I should only give it to the man who would be my husband… you might call it the Zora's Engagement Ring!" She laughed softly as she looked up at Link. "All right! I'll give you my most precious possession: the Zora's Sapphire!"

She dived backwards, swimming away from him a couple yards before holding up her arms in a gesture Link recognized. He held up his own arms as the blue-white light materializing above Ruto intensified, warming his own palms until the magic pulsed for a final time and the Sapphire rested itself in his hands.

Now, being so close to it, Link could feel the power he'd sensed inside Lord Jabu-Jabu as clearly as he could see the Stone in his hands: love. Pure, unfiltered love coupled with a complete and utter calm that brought the perfect peace. Tears sprung to Link's eyes again but he brushed them away as he looked back up at Ruto.

"Thank you, Princess."

She grinned, and this grin set chills down Link's spine. "You're welcome!" She swam off, stopping at the shallows near the Fountain's exit.

"Grow up big and strong for me, my love!"

Then she ran off, giggling loudly and leaving a dumbstruck Link floating there in the waters of Zora's Fountain.

"Hey, ah… Link?" Link's head tilted in the direction of Navi, fluttering in her human form off to the right of Link's sight range, though his eyes were still trained on the spot where Ruto had been standing. "Yeah?" Navi put her hands on her hips and gave him one of _those_ looks.

"What just happened?" Link blinked to clear his sight and shook his head.

"I have absolutely no idea…"

He climbed back onto the log and looked off in the direction of a cave to the right of the log, then looked back down at the Sapphire.

"Well," he said as he placed it inside his hat, "at least we have all three stones now." Navi raised an eyebrow and glanced in the direction of the Fountain's exit. "Are you sure about that?"

"Navi…" She waved him off. "I know, I know… Princess's orders. At least _she_ was polite about it, you know, even with all that talk about impending doom and whatnot. Say, why don't we stop by the Great Fairy here in the Fountain? We could use a power boost."

"Power boost?" Link asked quietly as he wrung out the water in his hat. Navi nodded. "Yeah! She's one of the other two Great Fairies of Magic! She might be able to teach you more about it!"

Link shrugged. "Why not? I guess it couldn't hurt to check it out."

So Link walked along the log and jumped off into the shallow part of the Fountain along the side of the rock wall that acted as a sort of barrier for the water. Finally he came to a small section of land with a large part of the rock wall cut away for the entrance to the Great Fairy's fountain, along with a few sparse bushes, a Whispering Stone, and a tree.

Link dried off the rest of his clothing with a quick fire spell (and he made sure to specify that it was only to _dry_ the clothing, not burn it) before entering the Great Fairy's Fountain.

The walls of the room of this Great Fairy glittered with a shimmering slivery blue, the tiles were flushed with a soft aqua color, and the flames set in the torches flanking the fountain blazed in gentle shades of bright pink. Link pulled out the Fairy Ocarina as he stepped onto the platform and played the lullaby to summon the fairy.

She burst from the water in a cascade of shining droplets that flew in every direction except Link's, and as she settled herself into a relaxed, lying down pose in the air, she smiled softly down at him. This Great Fairy's ponytails were colored a deep ocean blue, and she was dressed in a similar slip as the last Great Fairy they'd met, though this one was colored a soft white.

"Good afternoon, my friends. I am the second of the three Great Fairies of Magic. You are Link and Navi, am I right?" The two nodded.

"We were hoping that you might heal our wounds and grant us a magic spell to help us on our journey!" Navi piped, while Link glanced in her direction with a shocked expression across his face. The Great Fairy laughed and inclined her head in their direction. "Of course, I shall. However, I cannot show you how the spell works myself; it is something you will have to work out on your own. But you're a smart child, aren't you? You can do it!"

Link bowed slightly. "It if it's not too complicated, I'm sure I can figure it out." He smiled up at her. The Great Fairy grinned back.

"Now please, take this," she said as she moved into a standing position and held out a hand to him. "You know what to do." A bright ball of green light formed in her hand and grew brighter and brighter until it suddenly appeared in Link's hands in a flash and a blast of white wind so fierce it left Navi clinging to Link's hat and blinking owlishly.

The object in Link's hands was similar to Din's Fire in that it was contained with a diamond shaped box of magic crystal. Inside spun a green whirlwind of pure magic and power. But it wasn't a hungry magic like fire was; all this magic wanted was to _move_. Link pressed the magic to his chest and waited.

Suddenly the power filled him and he took a step back, the world around him blurring and shifting until he found himself a few feet away from where he last remembered standing.

"What was that?" He asked the Great Fairy as he stared at the platform.

She grinned down at him. "That was the power of Farore's Wind. Like the magic you received from my sister, the base element of this magic has a mind of its own, and is conscious of how you use it. However, you don't have to be _quite_ so specific with it. Just call the magic to you to move to another spot in the room, or another room you've been to before. You cannot move into a room you _haven't_ been to, of course, since you might end up stuck in a wall, and we don't want that now, do we?"

Link cringed and shook his head. "No, of course not." The Fairy inclined her head to him. "I have taken the liberty of healing all your wounds as well, so I only ask that you remember my sisters and I when you are in need of rest."

She smiled softly at him. "Go, and proceed with great caution. I sense evil coming swiftly on the night's wings. Farewell, Blessed of Farore."

And so she left them, disappearing back into her fountain.

Link and Navi exited the Great Fairy's Fountain and walked along the shallow edge back to the exit of Zora's Fountain. Link paused at the door, his hand on the wall, frowning at the water.

"Link, what's wrong?" Navi asked, even as she felt the same tremors of magic that he was feeling.

"Don't you feel that, Navi?" He looked behind him at the sky, which was gathering several ominous looking dark clouds. "I think… we should get back to the castle as fast as we can. Maybe the Great Fairy was right about that evil coming." Navi frowned and tugged at his shirtsleeve.

"But Link! It'll be sundown in a few hours! It'll take us forever to get to the gates, never mind the castle!" Link frowned.

"It's a chance we'll have to take, Navi. Come on!"

.oOo.

Auru glanced in Impa's direction as the Desert King and his entourage of beautiful Gerudo women warriors stopped at the foot the steps leading up to the King's throne. Impa nodded slightly and her grip on her charge's shoulders tightened slightly. Auru watched out of the corner of his eye as the Princess put a hand against one of the ones that gripped her shoulders.

He wasn't sure whether it was to reassure her attendant or share in her apprehension. Auru's mind was at a loss as to guess what exactly Ganondorf was going to try. He wished he didn't have to guess anything at all.

Ganondorf was a big man: the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. He was the kind of rugged character that most people would think to avoid if you met him, though obviously the King hadn't gotten that memo. His skin was so tan it was silky chocolate brown, his sparse hair the color of the flame that burned in his ruby eyes. He had chosen to wear a large, decorative cape to hide the layers of desert cloth and armor beneath, which he was sure the King would think to be ceremonial, like the armor he was wearing now.

But Auru knew the difference. Even the jeweled crown on the Desert King's head was thicker than _his_ King's armor. He tried desperately to keep his face passive as the Desert King's guard broke formation to let him through as he walked up the steps, knelt humbly at the King's feet, and waited for the other to speak, as was proper etiquette for such a ceremony.

"Greetings, Desert King. You may stand."

And so he did, the man almost coming up to his King's eyes even standing a few steps below him though the King was sitting down.

The King stroked the smooth brown hairs of his beard and looked down at the man he now considered his new ally, friend, and confidant. "It is my greatest pleasure to be the man to open a friendship between our longtime warring peoples. At last, we have reached a time of peace and prosperity the likes of which Hyrule has not seen since its creation. What say you, my friend?"

Ganondorf smiled, but it was not a gentle smile.

On his face it looked to be full of mischief and manic glee only just barely kept in check. Auru's eyes surveyed the crowd of lords and ladies (and of few of their children as well) that watched the procession. If the Desert King tried anything now, how many of them would die tonight?

"Lord Daphnes, if I may, _I_ say that it is _my_ pleasure to be that man. In fact, all will change starting with _this very ceremony_."

Auru wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light or if he really saw the female guardsmen behind the Desert King stiffen with tension and apprehension. But he was almost certain he'd seen it. He'd given his orders to the Guard Captain just before the ceremony had begun just in case, but he suddenly felt that even if the man completely believed him, he doubted they'd have done much good. From what he could tell, Ganondorf wasn't just a warrior; he was a sorcerer, and a black sorcerer at that. And his warriors were too.

He and his fellow priests might be able to fend off his magic along with the few Mage Knights who still remained from the Great Wars, though. Auru held in another sigh as he closed his eyes. He had a _bad_ feeling about this…

King Daphnes stood up and grinned down at the Desert King.

"My friend, please. We are both responsible for this momentous occasion. Let us shake and give both our peoples the sealing sign of our new age of peace and prosperity!" Ganondorf returned the grin, and Auru could feel the waves of black magic threading slowly through the room. His senses warned him of the _things_ that were being summoned elsewhere in the castle, though there was little he could do to attend to that fact.

"Yes, let us shake." Ganondorf extended a long, sinuous hand out to Daphnes, and suddenly Auru realized that his longtime friend and confidant was going to die. But not yet… this moment was too premature.

He could stop it if he wanted, the King's death. But then he'd forever be known as the bumbling high priest that screwed up a 'perfectly good alliance' and started another bloody war. Yet if it meant saving his friend, his _sovereign_… he looked up at Impa again, and she shook her head. She knew what the king was walking into. The Princess didn't, though. Auru could see the confusion on her face. She knew the man was evil, but she didn't know how far such an evil man would go to meet his ends.

Auru knew that he wouldn't stop at murder. He'd probably even gloat first.

The young king Daphnes glided down the few remaining steps down to meet the Desert King. He took the extended hand and smiled at him, a wide, genuine, _trusting_ smile. Damn him. To earn the king's respect was one thing, anyone could respect their rival for almost anything: inventiveness, strategy, tact. But to earn the king's _trust_… now that was another matter.

For a moment, the breath the room had been holding had been let out in a huge whoosh across the wide room's floor, rolling through the crowd and the carpet like water. But the calm was quickly severed by anxiousness, and finally, fear. The King's fear, Auru noted absently.

So it began.

The shake had started out simple enough, a strong, firm shake of the arms, hands clasped against forearms, pure strength and show. But it had gone on too long, and though the King's grip had relaxed, Ganondorf's had not. In fact, it was too tight now, burning, almost painful.

"What… what are you doing?" Daphnes gasped quietly, trying not to let his people hear. "Let me go!" Ganondorf grinned wickedly and leaned in close to return the whisper. "I think not… as for what I'm doing, well, it's something I should have done a long time ago… _my friend._" That was the moment the King realized what exactly Auru had been trying to warn him about.

He glanced behind him at his friend, who was clearly at a loss for what to do, and he mouthed two, simple words.

_I'm sorry._

Auru's throat let out a strange gurgling cry, since by the time he was able to suppress it; it was too late to stop it. Ganondorf grabbed the King's collar, snapping the young man's attention back to him, and raising the man off the ground. Soldiers that had heard Auru's cry or seen Ganondorf's ploy for what it was moved to stop him, but Ganondorf threw them back with a few waves of black magic thrown casually from his fingers. The night's first casualties; since some of them had hit the wall pretty hard and weren't getting back up.

"Listen well, all of you!" Ganondorf's voice boomed, "This kingdom is mine now! Indeed, there will be a peace in the land… _my_ peace! And as my first act as sovereign, I think I'll take what's rightfully mine!" Here, he turned to Daphnes, who was choking and struggling in the larger man's grip.

"This throne!"

Auru didn't even wait to watch as Ganondorf finally let go of the King's left arm to draw a dagger concealed somewhere in his armor and slit his throat, letting the dead weight of Daphnes fall to his feet, spilling the entire contents of his lifeblood across the wide, polished stone steps and watching as it dribbled down to pool on the smooth marble floor below.

"Run, Impa! Take the Princess and I'll get the Ocarina!" Auru had given the command beforehand so he wouldn't have to have the image of the light leaving the King's eyes burned into his memory forever.

Ganondorf wasn't oblivious to that command either.

"Get them!" He ordered, but it wasn't his Gerudo servants that responded. _They_ were busy with the panicked, screaming nobility, slitting throats with those who ran or too weak to defend themselves, or clashing blades with those who didn't/couldn't run but _could_ defend themselves.

No, the creatures that responded to his call were creatures called up from the depths of evil and animated by it too. They were Stalfos, skeletons of adults who died restless or in the Lost Woods, and Poes, spirits of malicious intent that had never moved on from this life. It was they that attacked the guardsmen who were trying to help the nobility and assisting in the escape of the Princess and pursued Auru and the other priests.

Auru ran down the main tower's stairs and through the halls as fast as his feet would take him. He had to get the Ocarina so he could pass it on to Impa and the Princess, as well as warn the Jedi Council about Ganondorf.

Even warning the _Senate_ would be better than nothing.

Auru skidded to halt as a particularly clever Poe ambushed him around a corner and slashed a long, spindly knife-finger against his right cheek. He growled at the creature and slashed it away with his sword, having already drawn it as had fled the throne room. Once it was gone he twisted it in his hands and took off again, heading towards the library and his quarters.

He threw open the wide double doors and the first thing he felt was a burst of hot air and the smell or sulfur. Auru bolted for a section far in the back where his desk was as pieces of burning timber fell from the scaffolding and the levels above. Evidently the creatures had already been here, searching for the Ocarina.

It was a good sign that the library was burning, Auru thought, since that probably meant they hadn't found it. He slid to a kneeling position against the carpet and began quickly removing the holo-disks and books from the top shelf of the left side of his desk, which was luckily one of the only ones that hadn't been damaged. Once they were removed, he let a finger trail the ancient symbols etched into the shelf, watching as they came alive with a glowing light powered by the touch of his magic and a small blue flute shaped like a sweet potato shimmered into existence.

The Ocarina of Time!

Auru didn't waste any time putting the books or the disks away, he simply pocketed the Ocarina and ran back out of the inferno just as the double staircases began collapsing. He winced as he heard the fall, only glad that he had most of the more important documents safely tucked away underground.

Now all he had left to do was make it to the main courtyard where he was certain Impa and the Princess would be waiting for him on horseback.

All he would have left to do there once they fled the castle to the safe house at Lake Hylia would be to send messages to both the Jedi Council and the Senate in the hopes that they would reach them in time to save… anyone, really. Auru knew they didn't have a hope that the messages would reach the Jedi fighter ship that had left early that morning.

Vaulting over one of the lower balconies of the main hall, now littered with dust and rubble of fallen chandeliers and bits of polished stone and only just barely lit by the emergency electric lighting, Auru darted though the clumps of fighting soldiers and monsters until he made it out into the main courtyard and spaceship landing zone. Auru could make out a dark shape in the shadow of the tall standing statue at the base of the steps, and stopped on his heel when he saw someone approach him.

"Auru?" It was Impa. He recognized her voice as she left a larger shadow behind. Auru stepped out of the shade of the large balcony they'd shared the last two nights and could make out the larger shadow to be Impa's large white mare and the Princess Zelda riding stiffly astride it.

"Yes Impa, I have it." He pulled out the Ocarina and handed it to Impa, who pocketed it. "You're a brave man, Auru." She told him quietly. Auru sighed and shook his head.

"If I were a brave man Impa, I would have told Ashei what I really am to her from the very beginning… and now I may never get that chance."

Impa's face hardened slightly but she forced a smile onto her face anyway.

"Remember what I said, Auru. That girl may be our last hope. _Train_ her. You know what to do." She turned around and mounted her horse behind Princess Zelda. "You'll send out the emergency beacons, I trust?" Auru nodded grimly, little flecks of rain beginning to pelt his skin and clothes. "Much good it'll do us, but yes… I'll send them." Impa nodded sharply and turned her horse around and urging it forward into the burning city.

There was only one thing left to do. Send the messages.

Auru circled the statue until he came to the electronic screens on the base of the statue that were meant to send out subspace communications when a ship wasn't present in the shipyard. He quickly tapped the screens until he brought up the emergency protocol beacons and entered the standard messages before pressing send. He rapidly drummed the right side of the terminal anxiously.

His head snapped up as his long Hylian ears picked up the sound of something whooshing through the air towards him from behind. Auru rolled off to his left, picking up the sword he'd rested against the side of the statue.

When he finally got to his feet, he briefly saw the screens finally shift their words from '_Pending… pending'_ to _'Sending Complete'_ just before a long black broadsword embedded itself into the terminal's screen. Auru figured he didn't need to turn to look and see who had thrown it because the sword was already removing itself from the shattered glass and crystal and returning itself to its master's hand.

Auru stood, brandishing his own saber before the Desert King.

"You know, _milord_," Auru spat at him, "that message will still be sent." He wiped away an irritating streak of blood off his chin. "It doesn't need the terminal screens to send them, just to give the commands. And, there are back-up generators that will send the data-burst out to Coruscant if this one fails to do so."

He knew about the one he'd hidden inside the underground complex where he hoped Ashei was hiding safely in right now. That one, at least, would be able to send the message if this one didn't and if Ganondorf had already found the others.

Ganondorf just stood there and laughed.

"And I'm supposed to what – _care_ about those messages, priest?" He grinned at Auru with a sly, wicked gleam in his ruby eyes. "Even when those messages finally reach the Jedi Council _or_ the Senate, It'll be too late for you. Why don't you just give up now, and serve under me so that you might live?" Auru growled softly. "Damn you, Ganondorf!" he snarled, holding out his sword and readying himself for whatever Ganondorf was going to try.

Ganondorf shook his head, smiling to himself. "Just so you know… I quite enjoyed tonight. Thank you, priest. And, don't worry about your king…" Ganondorf looked up and met Auru's eyes.

"He's now sleeping… for eternity."

It was all Auru could do to keep himself standing still. Attacking the Desert King now would only bring his death to him that much quicker. Though, was that really such a bad thing? He scoffed and brushed the thought away.

"Now," Ganondorf continued, oblivious to the potential threat on his life, "all that's left to do is obtain the power of the Triforce and become the King of Hyrule, perhaps even the entire world!" Ganondorf broke out into a manic series of evil laughs and cackles that finally pushed Auru to break his silence.

"No…" he said quietly, remembering what Impa had told him the other day about the boy in Zelda's courtyard.

"No. _You_ never will. Someday, the Hero of Time will appear again and defeat you… just wait." Auru stood up just a bit straighter, though he never moved from his fighter's stance. "It's not a stale old superstition, either. It's happened before. And it'll happen again." Unfortunately by now, Ganondorf was tired of hearing the high priest's words.

"Shut up, priest!" he growled, and lunged for the man.

Moments later, Auru's sword clattered to the ground, his sword hand slashed clean open against the palm, blood dripping on the flagstones. He was pinned against the very same flagstones moments after that, with Ganondorf's heavy desert boot pressing against his lungs.

"Well, you put up a pretty good fight… for a priest. And I meant it when I said enjoyed to tonight. Without all of your little 'precautions' this whole night would have been such a bore! Really, thank you for the entertainment."

And then he drove his blade straight through Auru's chest, removed it, and mounted the huge black warhorse that stood waiting for him, urging it towards the city in pursuit of the Princess and the Ocarina. Auru closed his eyes and whimpered slightly, realizing that Ganondorf had missed both his heart and lungs _on purpose_ so that he would die a slow, painful death.

Auru forced himself into a sitting position, opening his eyes to look for his sword. He found it a few feet away and he crawled over to it, blood trickling slowly from the wound in his chest to stain more flagstones. Once in close proximity to the sword, he used it to help himself stand up.

What was he going to do now? He was dead anyway…

A thought whispered quietly in the back of his mind as he dimly watched a Mage Knight dressed in golden armor (a lightning mage, Auru thought distantly) out of the corner of his eye, battling two Stalfos on the other side of the courtyard. There was only one thing _to_ do if he was going to fulfill Impa's request of Ashei.

So he pressed some of his robes' extra cloth to the wound in his chest and he limped quietly across the flagstones as they morphed into cobblestones and he used his sword as a makeshift cane to steady himself along the way.

The gates were open and the city was burning; people were fleeing the city through whatever gate they could reach with whatever things they could grab, and some of the guardsmen and knights had made it down to the main plaza and were fighting there as well, though they probably knew by now that it was a lost cause. They could at least see that the civilians remained unharmed as they fled the city.

So it was easy for Auru to slip past most of fighting and into the Garden of the Temple of Time. Auru noticed that walking was beginning to become something of a slow crawl in his mind, and his sight was blurring slightly. It didn't matter. As long as he made it in… he could fulfill Impa's request.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Auru's body thudded against the double doors of the Temple and after undoing the latch, he slowly pressed against one of the doors (he wasn't sure which one at this point) until it cracked open just enough to let him in. He could dimly sense the lights of temple thrumming as he entered, and Ashei's life force somewhere underground, as it should be. He'd return to her later… once he…

He stumbled against something hard and fell onto the cool stone of the Pedestal of Light. Yes… good. He'd made it. Auru pulled himself and his sword onto the stone and murmured the proper ancient words before he could forget them. The coolness of the pedestal was a strange comfort to Auru that he knew should disturb him, but he didn't care.

Auru rolled onto his back and closed his eyes, faintly aware that he'd tracked his own blood into the temple and it should be cleaned, and he was still bleeding from the wound in his chest, and… and… nothing.

He blinked.

His mind had cleared suddenly and he realized the ceiling above him was no longer white. Auru sat up, and was also aware that the Pedestal of Light he'd been laying on moments ago was no longer what supported him. Finally, when he looked around and the reality of exactly where he was truly hit him, Auru pulled his knees to his chest, buried his face into his robes, and wept for the first time in a long time.

_Ashei, my child… I'm sorry._

.oOo.

Link scrambled to a halt when he saw that the south drawbridge leading into Castle Town was raised up, not down like it should be. He frowned. It couldn't possibly be sundown yet (though you couldn't really tell with that awful cloud cover) because he'd run full out once he surfaced in the shallow part of Zora's River.

"This… doesn't make sense." Link muttered, but was distracted by Navi, who was pulling on his shirtsleeve again and pointing towards the city behind the gate.

"Look, Link! The city is burning!" And so it was. Link could see plumes of black smoke across most of the city that was visible to him, as well of jets of hungry flame that even set his magic senses ablaze and recoil in disgust and fright. "What is that, Navi?" Navi whimpered and huddled close to Link.

"It's black magic, Link! Lots of it!" Link frowned, and looked up at the drawbridge again. "So how am I going to… wait! It's coming down!"

Indeed it was coming down, and as it did so, little droplets of water began to fall, though not enough to truly be called rain. Link could see flecks of red-orange and yellow flash in the mist that obscured the southern walkway of the city, but Link could make out a dark shape materializing from within the center of the confusion.

Puzzled, Link walked closer onto the drawbridge to see what it was, and finally the contours of the thing were becoming clearer and clearer. It was a horse! And it had a rider! Was that… it was Princess Zelda and her attendant Impa galloping at full speed down the cobblestones!

"Hey! Princess!" He waved to them, but came to the sudden realization that they weren't stopping for him. He jumped out of the way just in time to hear Princess Zelda call out to her attendant and tell her to stop, but Impa refused.

"I cannot! We'll be killed!"

Link pulled himself off of the ground and turned around to watch as he could just barely make out Princess Zelda prying something off her attendant and throwing it back in Link's direction. It landed at the edge of the drawbridge in a clatter, and Link hurried to pick it up.

It was a blue Ocarina, about the same size as the Fairy Ocarina. He pulled the other one out of his hat and compared to two. Actually, the blue one was a little bigger, and had a band of silver stretched around the mouthpiece with a Triforce symbol etched into it with golden filling. This had to be the Ocarina the Princess had told him about! He quickly stuffed it in his hat and was about to put the Fairy Ocarina back in as well when his magical senses flared with a sickening jolt and he put his hat back on as he turned around.

What he turned around to look at was a rather large, and terribly menacing looking black stallion with an equally terrifying rider sitting astride it. The huge dark-skinned man with flaming red hair and ruby eyes that burned no less fiercely stared down at him with mild amusement.

"W-Who… who are you?" Link managed to make himself say past the chills of icy fear that seemed to be curling and coalescing in and about his spine.

The man smiled a little and bit out a short, barking laugh.

"Ha! You truly don't know who I am? I'm only Ganondorf, the Desert King of the Gerudos! But that doesn't mean much to you now does it, kid?" Link frowned and stepped back a little, suddenly very glad that the Fairy Ocarina he was gripping so tightly was in his right hand and not his left. So this was the man that had put the curses on the Deku Tree, and those other poor creatures… the Princess more than right when she said he was an evil man.

"Now…" Ganondorf said slowly, glancing towards the Ocarina in his right hand, "give me that thing you just picked up. Maybe then I'll let you live."

What? This man wanted the Fairy Ocarina? No, that didn't make any sense…

Wait. He _didn't_ want the Fairy Ocarina. He _wanted_ the other one, the blue Ocarina. Well, if the Princess didn't want this man to have it, neither did he. And he wasn't about to give him the Fairy Ocarina, either. Makar had given it to him and it was very precious to him! Link scoffed and quickly drew the Kokiri Sword from its sheath.

"Not a chance, you monster!"

Link jumped once, twice, three times, slashing at Ganondorf with the little sword and all the magic he could muster. But the magic and the blade just weren't enough, because all it took to push him backwards was a single flick of the larger man's wrist, sending him barreling into the dirt.

"Heh," he scoffed, watching as Link recovered from the blow, "you've got guts, kid. Some serious guts anyway, to oppose _me_." He paused, and then looked Link over for a moment, recognition flashing in his eyes. "Hey, you're that kid I saw at Hyrule Castle the other day. Are you a Kokiri?" He looked him over again and frowned a little.

"No… something's different… who are you?"

"Pah!" Link spat dirt from his mouth onto the ground. "I _am_ a Kokiri! I am a child raised by the Great Deku Tree, and my name is Link!" He breathed in deeply and glared up at the man in a sort of half crouch with the Kokiri Sword now held in both hands since the Fairy Ocarina had been knocked away from him and he couldn't see where it had landed.

"Do you understand me, Ganondorf?"

Ganondorf laughed again and simply glanced in Link's direction with that same amused expression. "_'Do I understand?'_ Really, now… very funny, kid. I like your attitude! I think I'll let you live for the fun of it, though don't feel bad if I track you down later on in your life if you become _too_ much of an annoyance." He chuckled again and held out his palm as it swirled with a purple, sticky black darkness that made Link sick to his stomach.

"Oh, and don't take this personal either, kid. It's just for kicks."

Eventually the swirling blackness morphed into a yellow-white ball of pure energy that Ganondorf sent spinning towards Link, who had no chance of avoiding it. It hit him with the force of a thousand blows and again sent him screaming backwards into the dirt, semi-conscious. Ganondorf noticed the little Ocarina on the ground and picked it up, Link noticing the motion but too tired to move, could only whimper as the man pocketed the Fairy Ocarina and rode off after Impa and the Princess.

Link lay there for a few moments, stunned and in a momentary state of shock.

After a while Navi even crept out of his hat and began whispering comforting things to him and eventually got him to sit up. By now the rain was beginning to pelt just a little bit harder but still not enough to be pelting or painful. Link sat there, staring at his hands for the longest time, even after the sounds of clashing swords, magic spells, and laser rounds being fired had slowly begun to disappear from the night.

When all was silent Link finally said quietly to Navi, "What have we gotten ourselves into, Navi?" He turned to the fairy, a wild, terrified look in his eyes.

"I can't do this! With this small body, I'm no match for him!"

Navi put a gentle hand to his cheek to wipe the tears from his eyes that had begun to form and roll down his face. She wished she could do more for him, but she was, for the first time, at a loss for what to say. So she was silent as Link continued to cry out softly and ramble things to her. She knew it was only the black magic that was affecting him so much. It was hurting her, too.

"Even though…" Link murmured quietly, "even though we worked so hard to get the three Spiritual Stones… we still can't…" He closed his eyes and bowed his head to the rain, his hat tumbling off his head and into his hands, which the blue ocarina suddenly found itself rolling gently out of and onto the grass. Link picked it up gently and cradled it in his hands.

"Princess… Zelda…" he whispered.

_Link, can you hear me?_

Link's head shot up and he was shocked into a straighter sitting position, throwing off Navi just a bit before she collected herself. "What…? Princess, where…?" He was certain he'd heard the Princess's voice. "Princess, what–?"

_Shh… close your eyes, Link._

Link nodded slightly and complied.

_Now open them… can you hear me, Link?_

Link obeyed, and suddenly the world around him disappeared into a brilliant white light and nothing else. It was a little disconcerting, but he made sure to answer the Princess so she could tell him what she needed to tell him and send him back.

The world around him gained a definite shape, though most of it was still obscured by the white light from before, making everything that was not in the immediate area a little fuzzy.

"Princess, what is this place?"

He could see her outline in front of a stone block, but it was also a little fuzzy, like he was looking through a scratched up piece of glass.

"This is the Temple of Time that I told you about… the entrance to the Temple Garden is in the main square. Now… that Ocarina I left you… you realize that since you hold the Ocarina of Time in your hands, I'm not around anymore. I won't be around… not for a long time."

There was a short pause before she continued, her back still turned to him.

"I wanted to wait for you, but I couldn't delay any longer… at least I can leave you the Ocarina, and _this melody_…" She finally turned to him, and it was a bit of a relief to Link that at least the features of her face were sharper than the rest of her, though they were growing fainter and fainter by the minute. "Take the Ocarina, and play along with me, Link…" she said.

Link nodded, and pulled the Ocarina of Time to his lips.

The two of them began playing a song as old as time itself, weaving its way through the very fiber of the universe, binding the patterns of space into a perfect harmony with its sister power's melody. Link's eyes fluttered open slightly, realizing that the world of light around him was fading faster and faster. He suddenly realized he hadn't the slightest clue what to do next.

"Wait, Princess! What do I…?"

"That song opens the Door of Time… you know what to do from there."

And the light faded and he was sitting in the rain before the Castle Town's south gate, blinking at nothing. Though after a few moments, echoes of Princess Zelda's words came back to him through the remaining threads of magic left in the air.

_Play that melody in front of the altar in the Temple of Time… you must protect the Triforce!_

Link groaned as the magic faded and he pushed himself onto his feet.

"Come on, Navi. Now we have something we can do…" Navi nodded, still not willing to open her mouth to speak. She followed him through the town, which was full of dead things, men, women, children… even some other creatures that weren't Hylian or human at all. Blood stained the streets and Link still had to sneak past the remaining monsters and men that were either fighting or looking for a place to hide or a way out, but eventually he made it to the Temple Garden without much trouble.

He frowned as he walked up to the Temple of Time, noticing the blood on the stone pathway and the steps leading up into the Temple… had someone tried to take refuge in the Temple? It appeared so, but when the trail of blood stopped at a large, pentagonal platform, he wasn't sure what to make of it.

Slowly, the magic stirred in the Temple, responding to the presence of Link's battered life force within it. The lights came on gradually, but when shining at their brightest, they revealed a large building with many windows and pillars holding up the vaulted ceiling. Yet Link had no time to dawdle and admire the architecture.

He hurried down the long carpet to an altar with some writing on it and three indents in the shiny black marble. The inscription read something along the lines of, "Ye who owns three spiritual stones… stand with the Ocarina of Time… and play the Song of Time."

"It must mean that song the Princess taught me," Link murmured, and began placing the stones on the altar.

Finally, he pulled out the Ocarina and looked at Navi. "Okay, here goes."

He pressed the Ocarina of Time to his lips and played the song Zelda had just taught him, and he played it twice just to be sure. When he was done, the floor began to shake, and his attention was drawn to the door just beyond the altar. It was… moving. The symbol of the sun just beneath the golden Triforce split right down the middle and began separating slowly.

Finally, the two stone slabs locked into place with a final _thunk_! and once that was done, Link walked up the steps behind the altar and down the tunnel the door had opened up to reveal a new room. Navi gasped when Link crossed the threshold, and flew away from him to examine the thing in the center of the room. "Link, isn't that…?" She flew around it in awe.

"It's that legendary blade… the Master Sword!"

Link slowly walked up to the luminescent sword, his fingers twitching at the chance to grasp the hilt. There was something about it, like… a power beyond magic, beyond good or evil, beyond… everything.

_If I have __this__ sword_, Link thought, _can I defeat him?_

There was only one way to find out. He set his face into a stoic mask of determination as his fingers grasped the surprisingly smooth hilt of the sword, and he put all his weight into his arms to pry it from the pedestal upon which it stood, embedded into the ground. It flew into his hands, eager and almost happy to be with him, and–

Then the world around him faded away…

* * *

><p>Wow, I'm a little surprised it went on this long… I really want to write the scene where Ganondorf's forces were storming the castle and all that… apparently I liked writing it a <em>little<em> too much. Oh, and most of the exchanges between Auru and Ganondorf as well as Link and Ganondorf are pieces excerpted from both the manga and the game, just in case anyone recognizes the words. It's all good. I still own nothing.

Well, after I finished writing about Link's encounter with Ruto post-Barinade, I was actually worried I wouldn't make it past fifteen pages…. turns out I didn't really need to worry. Well, it's late so I'll look this over and post it when I get up later.

Thanks for reading! (Even if most of you that _are_ reading refuse to _say_ that you are…)


	10. Seven Years' Toll

Chapter Ten: Seven Years' Toll

* * *

><p>Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force<p>

Chapter: 10

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: How many people are reading this exactly? (checks story stats) Oh, right. That many. Well, for those of you who are still here, you already know I don't own this.

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

(hears footsteps - looks up from playing Phantom Hourglass) Oh, hello. Perhaps you're lost? I think you took a wrong turn at the crossover section. Here, let me direct you back to the main desk… wait, what?

You really meant to be here? Well now, that's odd. I could have sworn nobody cared about this story… well, go on. It'll at least appreciate the attention since no one but myself and my friend Writer seem to know this place exists. Oh, and when you're done, perhaps you can figure out how the blue link at the bottom of each page works… careful, though. It's a bit dusty.

* * *

><p><em>What…?<em>

"Heh, excellent work, kid. It was nice of you to hold the door open for me…"

_What happened to me?_

"Leading me to the gates was a nice touch, too… I owe it all to you, Link."

_Ganondorf…? Hey, wait!_

.oOo.

Light spilled across a circular marble floor through a giant transparisteel window that revealed a wide panoramic view of the city. A tall, dark-skinned bald man stood frowning at the massive communications holotable in the center of the Situation Room that belonged to the Tranquility Spire of the Jedi Temple. His clothing consisted of light brown robes and a dark brown cloak, which only partly obscured the silver rings etched into a cylindrical object attached to his waist.

The man leaned over the large, sunken dais in which the holotable rested and drummed his fingers rapidly on a part of rim as he carefully read through a piece of text that scrolled slowly up a holochart. Upon reading a few sentences in particular the man leaned back, surprise briefly flashing across his features. He reached for a button that would open a communication channel to the Archives and pressed it.

"Madame Nu?" The man said slowly. A few seconds passed before the channel crackled with static and another voice replied to him through the speakers at his section of the holotable.

"Yes, Master Windu? What can I do for you?" The voice on the other side of the line was the feminine, but elderly clip of the Chief Librarian.

"Can you tell me when this message was sent and where it was sent from? I am unfamiliar with the origin codes of this particular planet, though I can make out that it was received only recently."

There was a pause on the other side of the line before Madame Nu finally replied to his request. "Sir, parts of the coding is missing, probably because of some user error or the more likely scenario of damages to the sending terminal, since this is an emergency beacon. But, from what I can tell, this particular message says that it was sent almost seven years ago."

Master Windu's body stiffened. "Did you say almost seven _years_ ago?" There was another pause, and then a reluctant, "Yes, Master Windu."

Now it was Master Windu's turn to pause for a response. He could sense that this message was something that needed to be dealt with for sure, but he needed one last piece of information to make sure he knew who to take it to for examination.

"And what planet was it sent from?"

"It says it's from Kodasta, which is in the Darpa sector of the Core Worlds. However, most of the people on the planet call it… Hyrule."

Master Windu's eyebrows rose. Master Yoda had visited that planet almost seven years ago… and through the planet's senatorial representative wasn't due to arrive for another three years, he had a feeling that their representative wouldn't be returning in time for the next session. He nodded to himself as he made his decision.

"Thank you for your help, Madame Nu."

"You're welcome, Master Windu."

Master Windu listened as the static of the channel faded into silence. He stood back from the holotable, watching the text of the message automatically scroll back to the beginning and through the message again. He folded his arms and frowned, knowing he ought to move soon. But something about the message bothered him. The arrival time, for one, and the fact that the message was sent only a day after Yoda had returned with Obi-Wan and his padawan bothered him also.

After a moments thought, he straightened. Yoda. He should show the message to Yoda. Of course, Yoda would what to do about it and who to send. With a swish of fabric and the swift click of boots on the floor, Master Windu exited the Situation Room and headed for the Council chambers.

.oOo.

Obi-Wan's eyes watched the door of the refresher slide open and again as he turned around to see it closed. It was a habit of his to behave as if the automatic doors were like real ones, but he suspected it had something to do with wanting to know what was behind him.

He sighed and looked at a digital clock on the table beside his bed, noting the time. It was half past ten, and his padawan was _late_. As usual.

And, knowing his padawan, Obi-Wan guessed that it would still be another five minutes or so before the young man was even at his door, never mind ready for another day of training. So he simply walked out into the central room of his living quarters and selected the right side of his sofa to sink into and wait for Anakin.

Anakin. Though he would have to make sure to appear terribly angry at his padawan for being late, he did have to admit the young man more than made up for it with his skill and determination. Since the day he was first granted permission to train the boy, Obi-Wan watched Anakin's training proceed at a rapid pace. While certain parts of his character still leaved something to be desired (such as his reluctance to get out of bed and show up for training on time) the boy from Tatooine was nearly ready for knighting.

A faint smile snuck its way onto Obi-Wan's lips as he remembered Anakin saying something yesterday about never becoming a Knight.

If only he knew…

Obi-Wan's head jerked a little as the doorbell chimed softly, alerting him to the presence of someone outside his door. He almost frowned and wondered why Anakin hadn't just come in, since that was what he _usually_ did, though he thought the better of it when he pressed a button on the side of the right side of the door to open it and saw exactly who was on the other side.

Anakin was indeed standing in front of his door. Since beginning his training with Obi-Wan, Anakin – now just seventeen – had grown to stand at a particularly tall six feet and his hair had darkened a little from the blond it had been as a child to a gentle light brown.

The young adult in question was glancing at the other man who Obi-Wan had _not_ been expecting to show up at his door with a mixed expression of skepticism and worry.

"Hello, Master Windu," Obi-Wan greeted the Jedi, one eyebrow raised. "Is… ah, Anakin in… trouble?" Anakin let his head hang slightly lower as he muttered, "I was kind of wondering the same thing," under his breath. Obi-Wan had to prevent himself from smiling even though the comment had been out of turn.

Master Windu shook his head, stoic as ever, though his eyes did twinkle slightly with amusement. "No, not this time. I encountered Padawan Anakin on the way here and decided to accompany him here, since the message I am delivering concerns to both of you."

Anakin's head snapped up as Master and Padawan shared a quick glance before Obi-Wan looked back to Master Windu.

"And this message is…?" Obi-Wan began, waiting for Windu's answer.

"That I'm to bring you to the High Council Room immediately. Master Yoda wishes to see you about a mission." Obi-Wan frowned, but nodded slowly as Windu began to walk in the direction of the council room, and he and Anakin followed.

There was a period of silence before Anakin finally tapped Obi-Wan on the shoulder. He knew the young man would have done so eventually, though he had to give him credit for waiting as long as he did.

"Yes, Anakin?"

"Does this mean that all training for today is suspended?" He had the nerve to look hopeful. Obi-Wan gave him a look. "Padawan, don't even try. If you ask that again, whenever the day of your knighting ceremony finally arrives, I will personally ask Master Yoda to push it back another day for any one of the days you have managed to wriggle out of training, which _includes_ today. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master." Anakin said quietly, blanching at the thought.

Up ahead, Master Windu was smiling to himself and once again wondering if he should seriously consider taking on another apprentice…

.oOo.

A young woman's hands sifted through a patch of gardenias set in a long line of rectangular gardens full of flowers and produce. Her long elf-like ears twitched at a sound, and she looked up, her sharp gray eyes combing the shadows of the greenhouse.

She waited a few moments, her ears twitching in the silence, but when no footsteps echoed through the tunnel that led down into this place, or no one spoke suddenly from behind her, she shrugged and went back to work.

The white flowers she was tending had begun to turn a sickly brown at the edges of their petals, and some were approaching death. Such was the trouble with gardenias. It was awfully hard to keep them alive outside, much less in an interior garden such as hers. But she had help in keeping them alive.

Centering herself, she breathed in, clearing her mind in a manner similar to the way she did before she sparred with her guardian. She took a few more deep breaths before she found the presence of what her guardian called the Force, and called it to her, asking it to help her. It came, and leapt to her fingers, flowing through them with her direction towards the wilting plants. Slowly, since she could only direct a little of the healing power at her age, the flowers began to lose their brown coloring and wrinkles.

After a few minutes, she smiled down at the healed gardenias that were at last the soft, velvety white they were meant to be. She brushed away a few strands of her long black hair out of her face and admired her handiwork.

Then her ears twitched again. She stood up, going through the list of weapons in the room and where they were hidden so she could at least call them to her through the Force if she needed (not counting the dagger she had up her left sleeve). The footsteps were light and steady. Recognizable, but she shouldn't trust recognition. She tried to take a slow breath and use her Force sight, but it only went so far as to tell her whether they were a danger or not.

She scowled. If this was a test, she was _so_ not in the mood for it. Nonetheless, she called up certain powers that might be useful like force blinding or flash, deflection or a protection bubble.

But when the person arrived, after quickly unlatching the door and closing it behind them, it didn't seem to be a test. The man that had entered was tall, sporting short black hair streaked with a little gray that was cut just above his shoulders, and gray eyes that were a few shades lighter than her own.

"It's all right, Ashei," said the man as he straightened out his dark orange robes, "this isn't a test." He sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead with his middle and index fingers while his thumb rested on his cheek.

"I'm afraid this time, it's very, very real."

Ashei blinked, still standing there tense and waiting. "What do you mean, Auru?" She was confused, since the feelings emanating from Auru weren't ones she recognized and those she did weren't making a whole lot of sense to her. Auru looked up and met her eyes.

"I mean that help is coming, and the seven year wait that the Master Sword placed on the Hero of Time is coming to and end in a few hours. I need you ready to explain our situation to whoever is coming, and then you will meet the Hero as soon as he is released from the Sacred Realm. You will guide him and guard him when and where both actions are needed, whether he wants your help or not. I will go and wait for the reinforcements. I expect you to be at least close to ready when I arrive back, because soon this place will be closed to you until your tasks are complete."

He bowed slightly to Ashei and exited through the way he'd come.

This was… real?

Ashei shook herself. She looked around the inside of the greenhouse, silently morning the momentary loss of her only companions besides Auru. Well, she'd been prepared for this ever since the bloody coup that had played out between the Desert King and the King of Hyrule seven years ago. This was what she was meant to do for her country and her people.

It was time to finish her preparations and ready herself for the battles ahead.

.oOo.

"Remember visiting the planet Kodasta, do you?"

Master Yoda, a small, greenish reptilian creature with long elf-like ears, sat in his council room chair as he held a small audience in the council chamber. The wide panoramic windows that framed the circular room let the morning sun gleam across the granite floor.

"I remember it, Master Yoda," Obi-Wan said quietly, Anakin standing off to his right with a confused look on his face as he tried to recall the planet he'd supposedly visited.

"But why did you summon us here to talk about it? Is something wrong?"

Master Yoda inclined his head. "Indeed wrong, something is. Master Windu, please show them the message, would you?" Master Windu pressed a button on his own chair directly to the left of Master Yoda's, and a holochart appeared in the space between Master Yoda and the two standing before him.

Obi-Wan frowned as he scanned the contents while it scrolled by.

"This can't be right," he muttered, "the sending and receiving dates are too far apart!" Anakin looked over his shoulder to read the message also. "Looks like a whole seven years apart," he said to no one in particular.

Master Windu nodded. "That's what I thought when I first came across the message this morning. But I checked it through our Chief Librarian, Madame Nu, and she said that the dates were correct. For whatever reason, that message _was_ sent the day you and Anakin arrived back at Coruscant after checking with their senatorial representative and it did indeed only arrive just this morning."

"Will of the Force this is, I think," Master Yoda said, "but also trouble on Kodasta, I sense there is."

He paused, and then tilted his head as if listening to the secrets of the universe that only he could hear. Finally he let his head rest on level with the rest of himself as he looked into the eyes of both men. "Go to Kodasta and deal with the trouble there, you will. But be careful, here I sense the dark side. Tempt you, it will. Give in to it, do not."

"Of course, Master Yoda," said both Anakin and Obi-Wan.

"Your instructions now are to go pack the things you need and be ready at your usual hanger in an hour. A two-person fighter jet will be assigned to you and will be pre-programmed with Kodasta's coordinates, so you should have no trouble locating the planet." Master Windu instructed them.

"You are dismissed."

Both Anakin and Obi-Wan bowed their thanks and turned to exit the council chambers to begin packing for their mission. Once he was certain they were out of earshot of Windu and Yoda, Anakin leaned next to his master and whispered quietly, "And this time, I get to fly."

Obi-Wan stopped to splutter as Anakin kept walking with a grin on his face.

"This time? Oh, no you don't. Last time you flew you almost crashed us into an asteroid!" Anakin grinned wider as Obi-Wan finally figured out how his legs worked again and began to walk faster. "If I recall correctly Master, you were the one distracting me with your incessant backseat flying." Anakin laughed. "I was not!" Obi-wan said, scowling. Anakin simply chuckled and walked a little faster in the direction of his quarters.

"Now, Anakin…. Anakin, come back here!"

.oOo.

There was a place in the city that had once been used as a secondary shipyard for transports and visiting fighter jets to stock up on fuel and supplies when the primary shipyard was unavailable to house them. Since Auru knew for a fact that the primary shipyard that had once existed as Hyrule Castle's main courtyard was no longer in operation, this one would have to do.

Auru had set up a landing beacon that would label the location as place safe to land. Though Auru knew that it was far from safe in the shipyard, it was (at least to a certain extent) an operational landing site.

He'd restored both power and function to the centermost dock of the shipyard since he knew that was all that was to be needed, besides leaning against a wall cloaked in the shadows where the dead creatures that now roamed city might not look for him.

That is, if he actually had a body worth looking for.

Auru's body had died the day of coup, and he'd known that the instant he'd woken up in the Chamber of the Sages. But because Impa had told him that training his daughter in whatever ways necessary was crucial to Hyrule's survival, the only way that was now possible was to use his remaining life force to fashion a physical image of himself to continue her education.

It was a wonder she hadn't sensed his particular use of the Force, but then again she was only seventeen, even though she was certainly one of the most brilliant Force adepts he'd ever encountered.

But he was running out of time. He couldn't keep up such power outputs for long, seeing as how his solid-seeming form was beginning to lose its sharpness along the contours of his shape, as well as fade to transparency along the hem of what appeared to be his battle robes from the day he died.

Auru was very glad he didn't need much time. Help had arrived.

High above the atmosphere of the planet, the starfighter carrying Anakin (who had still somehow managed to secure the pilot's seat) and Obi-Wan orbited the planet, the latter of the two pointing out the landing sites that were safe to land on according to the ships readings.

"Master, what did I tell you about backseat flying? You don't _want _to almost crash into an asteroid again, do you?" Obi-Wan sighed. "Anakin, just bear with me. It seems the primary shipyard that we used before is either full or no longer in operation. But, the secondary shipyard in the city has one dock open for us." Anakin frowned.

"Kind of makes me wonder who's still operating it, if the message said the city had been overtaken by that Desert King… what was his name again?"

"Ganondorf," said Obi-Wan quietly. "And I suppose it might be the same person that sent the emergency message beacon. Some people can be awfully devoted to a cause if they think it'll save them." Anakin nodded. "So, we head there?" Obi-Wan sighed.

"It doesn't look like we have much of a choice. Just be _careful_."

Anakin grinned. "Yes, Master."

He carefully guided the starfighter through the planet's atmosphere and circled around the stratosphere for a bit so the ship could adjust to the planet's chemical composition. Once the procedure was complete, Anakin pressed it forward through the troposphere and finally just several kilometers above the soil of the planet, braking when appropriate so as to land in the proper place in the shipyard that the sensors had located.

The cockpit doors opened and Anakin and Obi-Wan exited their starfighter with their gear, completely unprepared for what they would see next.

Obi-Wan was the first to notice it as he turned away from his closing door to look at their surroundings. "Force, Anakin… look at this place." Finally, Anakin turned around to look as well while his door clicked in place behind him. "Whoa… um, wasn't this place cleaner? And didn't it have… people?" When Obi-Wan had spoken to Anakin on the way there, he'd cleared up any confusion he'd had about the planet they were going to. His memory of their visit here was a little fuzzy, but he was certain it hadn't looked at all like this. It actually... _disturbed_ him a little to see such a great city in such a state of disrepair. Obi-Wan frowned beside Anakin, his forehead crinkling in worry. "There really was an attack… I wonder how many of the people made it out safely," he murmured, studying the crumbling, soot-stained buildings.

"Most of the civilians did," said a voice from the shadows, "though most of the Mage Knights and palace guards died keeping Ganondorf's monsters away long enough for them to escape." Both Obi-Wan and Anakin turned, their hands flying to their lightsabers as they watched a man emerge from the shadows of a nearby rounded overpass the led into the shipyard.

"Easy, easy," said the man, holding out his palms in a gesture of submission.

"Trust me, I'm _not_ here to kill you. I've been waiting for you far too long to go and do something so foolish as that."

Obi-Wan studied the man. He was tall, dark haired, with bright gray eyes and wore brown boots and orange robes. "I think… I think I've met you before." He frowned, squinting his eyes in concentration until a name and a title came to his mind. "You were the High Priest Auru... right?"

Auru inclined his head to them with a bitter smile. "Yes, I _was_. Obviously I'm not anymore." Anakin stood back behind Obi-Wan's left side, for once strangely content to let him take the floor.

"And you're still alive? Mace Windu, the leader of the Jedi Council, seemed to think you wouldn't be." Auru frowned, and then shook his head, sighing. "That's because… I'm not really alive in the sense that the two of you are." Anakin blinked, and his desire to stay silent and gone as quickly as it had come. "Really? I don't mean to be rude, but… you look pretty alive to me." Auru chuckled. "Do I? Take another look, Padawan."

Anakin frowned, but found that when he looked closer, the outline of the man was sort of… blurry, and parts of him were actually _transparent_.

"So… what are you?" Anakin asked.

Auru looked at Obi-Wan when he spoke, though he answered Anakin's question. "I am something like what you would call a Force ghost. A close friend of mine asked me to fulfill a request that I couldn't do while dead. So I've been using this physical construct to train the young woman who is to be your guide, and the guide of the Hero who is to be the one who will slay the Evil King and bring peace to this land. With your permission, I would direct you to her, so that I may return to the Sacred Realm and do what must be done there."

Obi-Wan nodded solemnly. "Of course, Auru. Please, lead the way." Then he turned to Anakin and said, "Don't forget to set the shield to repel so it will still be here when we arrive back."

"_If_ we arrive back," Anakin countered, holding up an index finger.

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "Yes, _if_we arrive back. But you know, with our luck, it's entirely possible."

"Which is the reason why I mentioned it Master," Anakin said as he pressed a button on a remote keychain that he attached to his belt, the ship's repelling shield clicking twice to signal it was activated. The two followed Auru out of the shipyard and through the city ruins, both Master and Padawan wondering exactly where they were going and why they had to take the back roads to actually get there.

"Two reasons," said Auru when they asked him, "the first being that the main roads aren't safe. The second is the reason why. Derelict creatures called ReDeads swarmed the city after most of the people had escaped, and are now its sole occupants. They don't appear to _need_ food, but they will attempt to eat you if they see you."

"Are they particularly fast?" Obi-Wan asked in response to Auru's explanation. Auru shook his head. "No, but they make up for it but releasing a screech calibrated to a certain frequency that momentarily paralyzes warm-blooded flesh and gives them the time they need to catch up to their prey. And while I am not affected by this particular anomaly, I figured that you might be." He finished with a smug smile. "I also figured you might also want to remain alive while completing your task here."

Obi-Wan hummed shortly in agreement. "I believe my padawan mentioned the same thing just moments ago…" Anakin grinned.

Finally the group rounded a corner and entered what had once been the beautiful Temple Garden. Now, after seven years of neglect and decay, the flowers had died and crumbled to dust, along with the grass, the trees retreated into themselves and even the outside of the Temple of Time was crumbling and only contained a shadow of its former shine.

Auru led them along the side of the Temple and towards the far wall where some of the trees at least still had leaves (even if they weren't entirely green) and searched for the latch that would open the entrance to the underground greenhouse and its outlying tunnels.

Once he found the latch he threw it open and gestured for Anakin and Obi-Wan to proceed down into the darkness. They complied after a moment's hesitation, and Auru followed them, listening for the latch's locking mechanism before calling up a flame between his fingers and lighting a torch he'd hung in the wall, taking the lead position and leading them down the stairs to the door of the complex.

Auru opened the door and showed them inside, Obi-Wan's eyebrows raising almost to his hairline as his eyes caught the rows and rows of flowers, produce, and even the trees on the side of the large room.

"This is certainly something I didn't expect to see, Auru," he said to the former Priest, "may I ask how it is all maintained?"

"The young woman I told you about," Auru answered, "She has been working on this since she knew how to think and walk. It is her life's work. I feel almost guilty for taking her from it and barring her way back here once she leaves, but Ganondorf must be slain, and she is the only one who can help the Hero of Time fulfill that task. I've told her as much since the King and most of the Royal Family were murdered seven years ago."

Auru frowned. "I also _thought_ I told her to be almost ready by the time I got back…" He paused, and then took a deep breath so that his voice would be able to reverberate through the tunnels to wherever the girl was.

"Ashei! Where _are_ you?"

Ashei's voice came from one of the nearby tunnels on the right side of the greenhouse.

"I'm almost ready, Auru! I just need to make sure I have everything!"

Auru sighed. "That girl… well, I did ask her be _almost_ ready. And I suppose she did just that." He frowned after a few moments and tilted his head. He needed to be in the Realm and soon, otherwise the boy would be waking up now: alone. That wasn't good.

"Ashei! I have to go! The Jedi are waiting for you at the door, so don't waste any time. You need to meet the Hero right as he exits the Temple, not a moment later, do you understand?" It was crucial that she did. "Yes, Auru!" Ashei's voice called back, a little impatience filtering through even though she was probably holding most of it back. There was a pause, and just as Auru turned to leave, she called to him again.

"Auru! Will… will my flowers be all right? The gardenias… well, you know how they are." Auru smiled a little. "Yes, child. They'll be taken care of."

"Thank you, Auru," she said, her voice almost a whisper.

Obi-Wan gave him a look. "You're not staying with us?" Auru shook his head. "Much as I would like to, I have business elsewhere. That, and I also cannot maintain this form outside of the Sacred Realm for much longer. If things are to go according to plan, I must return to the realm and stay there. May the Force be with you, my friend." He started to leave, but paused after a few steps. "Oh, and Ashei is quite the Force adept, so do not be surprised if she does things you wouldn't expect of her." And with that, he nodded to Obi-Wan and Anakin and left the tunnels to return to the Temple and the Sacred Realm.

Anakin turned to Obi-Wan. "So… this is it?" Obi-Wan nodded. "So it appears. I see no other option other than to aid these people. Master Yoda said to deal with the trouble here, but not how to deal with it."

"Besides avoiding the dark side?" Anakin asked blithely.

"Yes," Obi-Wan murmured, not appearing to notice Anakin's light tone.

For a while it was only the silence, the light scuffling of things being stuffed into something, and the clink of metal. Finally, the other sounds stopped, and were replaced with the sound of footsteps approaching the main room. The two men looked up and around until they finally saw a young woman approaching them from the tunnel entrance across from theirs.

She was tall, with slightly tan skin and a long feminine face that harbored several sharp features. These included her solidly gray eyes and jet-black hair that was curled into two bun-like spirals and left two tightly bound ponytails that hung behind her shoulders. She wore a golden set of shoulder plates with spiraling designs over a dark leather jerkin that cut off on both sides at the lower edges of the shoulder plates, and dark blue pants that were tucked into a pair of dark calf-high leather boots.

Her accessories included a pair of stiff leather armguards that also doubled as half gloves with no covering for the fingers, a pair of crossed, black leather belts that had little packs attached to one of them, a bow and quiver, and an intricate white sword that rested in a gray sheath decorated with Hylian writing that was attached to one of the belts on her left side.

"I am assuming you are Ashei?" Obi-Wan asked her once she paused in front of them. She nodded.

"Yes, I am. May I ask who you are?"

She was polite, but to the point. "I am Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and this is my Padawan, Anakin Skywalker. You may call me Obi-Wan." She nodded to them both, and shot a curious look at Anakin. "And you?" He blinked. "I'm sorry?" She scoffed lightly and shook her head.

"What may I call _you_?"

Anakin grinned. "Well, normally I would ask you to call me awesome, but since my Master is here I think just my name would be preferable."

Ashei grinned back slightly. "Well, now that introductions are over with, I think we should head for the Temple entrance to wait. There's nothing more that I can do here." The two men nodded and proceeded to follow her back through the tunnel and the surface to the remains of the Temple Garden.

.oOo.

"Link…"

_Huh? Who's there..?_

"Link!"

_What do you want? Go away…_

"Awaken, Link, the chosen one!"

_Who are you talking about?_

Blue. That was the first thing he could see. It sort of shimmered, like water did. It reminded him of the way the water had shimmered in the Great Fairy Fountains. But this was… softer. Gentler. It was kind of hard to focus, since it felt like his eyes hadn't opened in years. He sort of looked around, turning his head languidly from one side to the other, and while he did so, beams of white light shone down from the darkness where a ceiling should have been.

Was he outside? No, it didn't feel like outside.

He saw floating pools of water shimmering inside some of the beams of light, and those made him even more confused. Once he caught sight of a green pedestal with a swirling symbol etched into it, his eyes began to really focus, and he could see more water going over an edge and into… nothingness?

Something was… not right. He sat up, still staring at the platform.

He turned his head to the left, the motion being much faster than he remembered it, and caught sight of a yellow platform, and… a person.

A person he recognized.

"You!" Link coughed, the word catching in his throat as if it hadn't been used in years either. He stood up, and the world spun around him, but he managed to keep his footing. Something was not right here, either. The ground was… too far away. But that wasn't pressing enough. The man in front of him _was_.

"You, I…" Link paused, and frowned. Something wasn't right with his voice.

But the man in front of him with his black hair, gray eyes, and orange robes began to speak, and distracted Link from the strangeness of his awakening.

"Young man, my name is Auru. Please forgive me for not giving my name to you when last we met, but I was…" he frowned, paused, and shook his head before continuing.

"Anyway, I am one of the sages that has guarded the Temple of Time through the centuries and secured the path to the Sacred Realm. My body is already gone, but here in the Chamber of Sages I am able to speak with you, since it is located in the Temple of Light and is a part of the Realm."

Link frowned. "What… what happened to me?" He whispered this, but even his whisper voice sounded different, which made him even more confused.

"What happened to you," Auru began to explain, "was an unfortunate side-effect that was caused when you drew the Master Sword. You see, that Master Sword is the holy blade that those with evil hearts can never touch. Only those qualified to become the 'Hero of Time' can remove it from its pedestal. However," – here Auru hesitated – "you were still too young to be the Hero of Time. So… your soul slept here for… seven years."

Time stopped. Link blinked. Did he just say…

"Seven… _years_?"

Auru nodded, cringing slightly. "Yes… Link, don't be alarmed, but…look at yourself!" He gestured for Link to do so, which Link was only too happy to comply with his request. Until he saw what Auru was talking about.

He was… _taller_. He had _muscles_. Then the pieces fell into place: the faster reaction times, the way he perceived distance, his voice… he was…

"Link, you've become an adult! You've grown up!"

Link practically melted when he heard the familiar voice of his guardian fairy, Navi. "Navi, I… I don't understand." Navi stopped bouncing around and phased into her human form. _She_ hadn't changed, at least. She looked up at him with a knowing expression. What… did she know that he didn't?

But she said nothing.

He shook his head and nodded meekly at Auru to let him know he could continue explaining.

"I must tell you something else. Something… you not want to believe. You see, though you may have entered this realm in the name of peace, Ganondorf the Gerudo King used it to invade the Sacred Realm and take the Triforce for himself." Link gasped. "No! That's not… the Princess, she…" Auru held up a hand. "Wait. You see, the one good part about it is that he only got a piece of it: the Triforce of Power. Yet, even with only that one piece, he has been wreaking terrible havoc on the Hyrule you once knew for seven years."

Before Link could stop himself, he found his hands clenching themselves into fists, and upon realizing this; he also found that he was wearing gauntlets in addition to an adult version of the Kokiri's Tunic, hat, and boots.

"But… if he's so powerful… what can I do about it?" Link still couldn't believe it. Ganondorf… he couldn't have… had Hyrule really… changed?

"There _is_ a way to win," Auru told him, "you must break the seals on the five other temples and awaken their sages. If the sages and the Hero of Time combine their powers, the evil can surely be sealed away!"

_And I'm… the Hero of Time?_

"Link, let me give you what's left of my power," Auru said to him, and held out his hands. Link recognized the gesture and resigned himself to figure things out as he went. He too held out his hands and waited for the power to come to them.

It was… faster than he remembered. The power came to him in such a _whoosh_ that it nearly knocked him off his feet and once he was finally able to see again he found a small gold medallion in his hands.

The Light Medallion, something inside him said. That's what this was.

After some moments, he allowed it to join with his power like Din's Fire and Farore's Wind had, and it flooded him with a light so powerful it left him magically blind-sighted for a few moments. Then he caught Auru smiling sadly at him, and Link frowned.

"What is it?" he asked. Auru just shook his head. "Nothing. Good luck to you, Hero." Link frowned again. He didn't… like that for some reason.

Being called 'Hero' instead of Link, anyway.

Suddenly, the world began to fade to white as it had when Link had drawn the sword and he knew somehow that he was returning back to the Temple.

_Find the other Sages…_ Auru's voice came to him in his mind.

_Find them and save Hyrule! And, don't worry… a guide will be waiting for you as soon as you exit the temple. She will help you on your journey…_

When Auru's voice drifted off and the light began to fade away, Link found himself standing back inside the Temple of Time in front of an _empty_ pedestal. He could feel the sword's power pulsing at his back as he looked around, and nothing really felt different. Except his body. Even parts of his own mind were… different than he remembered them being. The feeling was… lonely. And terrifying. It was Navi who saved him from drowning in his own dark, consuming thoughts.

"Link…we're back in the Temple of Time… but have seven years really passed?" He shot Navi a look and gestured to himself. "Um, hello? I'm an _adult_? Something I shouldn't be, by the way." He frowned, and his deeper voice suddenly took on a melancholy sound. "I _thought_ I was a Kokiri…"

She frowned at him. "Magic?" she offered. _He_ frowned at _her_.

"Navi, magic can't _really_ be the answer to everything, can it?" She didn't reply to his question, but instead stayed silent for a few moments until she realized something. "Hey, Link?" He looked at her. "What?" She seemed perplexed, but continued through with a reply.

"It looks like you won't be able to use some of the weapons you found as a kid anymore…" Link pulled off his hat and rummaged through it, frowning at it. "Hey, some of those items I don't even _have_ anymore… that's just…" He shook his head. "We should get out of here. We have a job to do."

He turned on his heel and began walking down the steps toward the exit, but something flashed across his senses that he couldn't identify. Next thing he knew, he was drawing the Master Sword and turning around to face…

Someone. This time it was someone Link _didn't_ recognize.

It looked like a young man wearing a traditional garb of some sort that, for whatever reason, included a white cowl that covered all but a bit of the man's bright blond hair, a single red eye (the other one was obscured by his hair), and his nose. Well, Link supposed he had to breathe somehow. But how had he _gotten_ there? He'd only been standing there, staring at the spot for… how long?

"I've been waiting for you, Hero of Time…"

Link frowned. Auru said that someone would be waiting for him _outside_ the Temple, and that they'd be female. So who was this young man with a velvety voice that claimed he'd been waiting for him?

"When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm will call those destined to be Sages, who dwell in the five temples."

Link raised an eyebrow, but didn't let go of his sword. Who was this guy?

"One in a deep forest... One on a high mountain... One under a vast lake... One within the house of the dead... One inside a goddess of the sand..." The strange young man looked Link straight in the eye, who was becoming more and more confused by the minute. Maybe he was talking about the temples?

"Together with the Hero of Time, the awakened ones will bind the evil and return the light of peace to the world..."

Okay, right. He _was_ talking about the temples.

"This is the legend of the temples passed down by my people, the Sheikah. I am Sheik. Survivor of the Sheikah..." Link's eyebrows shot up. Not only did he finally have a name for the man, but also there was a word he recognized.

"Sheikah, as in… the protectors of the Royal Family?"

Sheik seemed surprised that he knew that particular bit. "Yes, yes indeed. Well, as I see you standing there holding the mythical Master Sword, you really do look like the legendary Hero of Time..." Link shot him a look. "Oh, really? That's nice." He could almost sense the young man's smile from behind his cowl.

"I must tell you, Hero, if you believe the legend you have no choice. You must look for the five temples and awaken the five Sages."

"And… if I don't believe?" Sheik's single visible eye narrowed.

"You _must_ believe, Hero. Well, what if I told you that one Sage is waiting for the time of awakening in the Forest Temple. This Sage is a boy I am sure you know very well."

_Makar?_

"Because of the evil power in the temple, he cannot hear the awakening call from the Sacred Realm. Only _you_ can break the seal and awaken his power, Hero!" Link scowled at Sheik. "Okay, okay, I get it! And stop calling me that! I have a _name_…" The young man raised one fine, blond eyebrow.

"And what might that be?" Sheik asked lightly. "Link…" Link spat quietly.

Sheik seemed to pause a moment before continuing. "Unfortunately, equipped as you currently are, you cannot even enter temple... but if you believe what I'm saying, you should head to Kakariko Village... do you understand, Link?" Link raised a blond eyebrow of his own. "Could you be a little more specific?" Sheik chuckled.

"Try poking around in the graveyard. I've heard interesting things happen when you push the gravestones around… but _do you understand_?"

"I understand. And I think if you're done here, I'm going to head out."

He didn't even give Sheik the chance to reply before (in several strides that would have taken him twice the time as a child to cover) he was across the threshold of the Pedestal Chamber, the steps, the red carpet, and finally… pressing his hands against the fine wood of the large double doors and exiting the Temple of Time into the Temple Garden.

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><p>Phew, dang! I'm really sorry I didn't update last week guys! I had a Calculus summer camp and I kept falling asleep as soon as I got home. Wow… another long chapter. Well, things are starting to come together now, and things will begin rolling along with the Adult Saga as they should be.<p>

And I might have to draw Ashei for you guys if you can't visualize her clothing real well in your mind but you guys need to **LET ME KNOW** if you're having trouble, okay? And, FYI, the Ashei in this story looks totally different from the Ashei in Twilight Princess. Her clothing and hairstyle during travel is slightly based on that Ashei, but other than that she is pretty much an OC that just happens to share her name. Hope that clears things up.

Oh, and she has _bangs_. Not that weird… thing that the other Ashei has. Although Ashei's hair in Twilight Princess didn't bother me so much as the Postman did… I mean _dang_. Short shorts look great on some guys, but on that Postman it was just creepy. Sheesh. (shudders)

Well, I'm outta here. It's late and I'll upload this in this morning or after church if I'm lazy. Bye-bye people.


	11. The Journey Begins

Chapter Eleven: The Journey Begins

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><p>Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force<p>

Chapter: 11

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: I own this? No way… (checks wallet, frowns) Okay, seriously. I have like a grand total of a whopping sixty bucks. I think it costs a whole lot more than that to buy either of these franchises. So… I'm pretty sure I don't own anything except this plot.

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

Okay, just to let you know, my updates from now on (since my senior year of high school has started and I'm juggling like five AP classes at once) will be significantly farther apart than when I was writing in the summer. I will try to update every two weeks on a Saturday or Sunday, but I'm warning you that sometimes I might be a little late in getting a chapter up.

I'm not going to stop working on this, so don't worry. I've just got a lot on my plate this year and my writing will be slow going from here on out. All right, now stop paying attention to me rambling and go read the darn thing. Oh, wait! Don't go yet! Warning: this might be a REALLY long chapter. So sit tight and don't forget about the review button at the bottom.

(Writing it down on your hand or something helps. Okay, now you can go. :D)

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><p>Ashei tapped her right foot quickly as she ground her teeth together. She had her arms crossed as she leaned against the side of the Temple, and though she kept telling herself she was only keeping herself warm, she knew deep down that she was really just trying to keep herself together.<p>

Right. As if trying to physically hold herself was doing her any good.

When she and the two Jedi had left the underground greenhouse, the door had locked behind her with an ear splitting crack that sent an icy splash of pain slicing through her gut. She grimaced. She had absolutely no idea was she was supposed to do. Though Auru had been training her for this for years, she was clueless. Her years in that underground complex hadn't done much for her people skills, though she could be rather passable at them if she tried.

Still, this was new to her. And Ashei didn't do well with new things.

The Jedi were interesting enough. She wanted desperately to strike up a conversation with them, or at least one of them, for Din knew how long the three of them would be traveling with the Hero, or even together. But she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

It was a good thing, she thought, that at least one of _them_ had the courage to strike up a proper conversation. The older one, Obi-Wan, she remembered.

"So, Ashei," he said quietly, obviously being mindful of their surroundings, "what can you tell us about how this world has changed in the seven years since…" he trailed off, his eyes looking up in the direction of the dark castle. She frowned. "I can't tell you much. Even before Ganondorf killed the king and took his place, Auru didn't often let me out to explore the land. He especially restricted my time outside _after_ it happened, and I was only allowed to Kakariko and back, nowhere else. So, to be honest, this is… new to me, too."

Obi-Wan cracked a smile. "I suspect, you're driving yourself in circles with worry?" Ashei blinked. "How… how did…? I thought for sure, I had my emotions…" Obi-Wan laughed, quietly of course.

"You did. They're shielded quite well, in fact. But I've been told," – here he shot a pointed look at Anakin, who grinned at his master – "that I have a knack for reading people when they don't want to be read." He shrugged as he looked back at Ashei. "So, no worries. I am certain that you will do just fine. Auru seems to have put a lot of stock in you, and he does not seem to be the type of man to do so freely." He paused.

"However, I would like to ask if you have a map of some sort on you?"

Ashei nodded. "Yes, I do. And Auru also provided me with pieces of information about the various peoples and locations so that I wouldn't be completely lost. Perhaps you're right, and I shouldn't be so worried… it's just that…"

"You have a bad feeling about this?" Anakin asked.

He was leaning against the Temple on her left side, directly across from Obi-Wan, who was standing. She rolled her eyes at Anakin. "That's putting it lightly, but yes. I do have a bad feeling about this."

And she really did. It wasn't the kind of bad feeling she got when her life was in immediate danger, but more like the kind of oppressed I'm-being-watched sort of feeling. While it got rid of the cold that had been steadily pooling in her stomach, it also set her nerves edge and her head pounding with a slight headache. Sometimes, she really hated being a Force-adept.

Suddenly the sound of a creaking door set her nerves on fire, and she jumped, nearly letting out a loud squeak in the process. Barely managing to keep a lid on the sound, she twitched her long Hylian ears for the source of the creaking. When she found it, and the reality of it finally registered with her brain, the cold began pouring back into her abdomen in earnest.

The sound… was coming from the Temple doors. And they were _opening_.

Link didn't care much for what the strange Sheikah wanted to say to him. He'd been kept in the Temple for far too long and he had a whole laundry list of things to deal with, not all of them involving him.

But once he exited the Temple, all those thoughts _vanished_.

The world was black. Well, not pitch black exactly, but the darkness clung to everything including the patches of dirt and pavement where pale splotches of muted orange and red light lay scattered as pieces of trash or torn paper. The trees around the Temple Garden that he remembered being beautiful and springing with bright clusters of green were no longer beautiful, and instead lay within themselves, their whisperings gone silent and their bark shadowed with the grimness of pre-death. Like the way the Great Deku Tree had looked. He shuddered, and was not surprised to hear a small (though deep) sob escape his lips.

He took a few steps forward and turned to his right, looking up past the Temple roof at where he remembered seeing the contour of Death Mountain. He gasped and cringed when he saw it, a bright, ghastly red ring of fire circling the top of the volcano. His heart thudded in his chest, and the edges of his eyes prickled with the beginnings of tears.

_Did I… do this?_

"Excuse me?" Link jumped and almost drew his sword, but when he saw who had spoken, he stopped. His mind gathered in the surroundings, the past couple… minutes, hours? He frowned. This didn't make sense. But then he remembered what Auru had said about a girl that would be waiting for him outside the Temple. He took a deep breath and faced the girl, trying very hard to clear his mind of the thoughts and feelings that were assaulting him.

"Yes?" His voice was low and quiet. The rich timbre of it nearly threw him off balance again, but he held himself still, even when he caught sight of the two men standing a little ways away behind her.

Ashei had been more than a little taken aback when the young man she presumed to be the Hero of Time turned around to face her after she'd automatically called after him. She'd cursed herself for her lack of tact, but this wasn't about appearances. This was about getting her job done so she could go back to her plants and her work.

But she hadn't expected the young man to be… handsome. Very handsome. Though he was obviously upset and slightly wary of her, she could still make out the broadness of his shoulders, the strength in the muscles of his sturdy arms and legs, and… she blushed a little. She hadn't had thoughts like that in a while. She shook her head to get rid of them, and attempted to speak again.

Yet, she'd made the mistake of meeting his eyes.

They were… so _blue_. The brilliance of them threw her for loop and brought her back again. She'd never seen such clear eyes except in Auru, through his were gray, like hers. The eyes of this man were bright, like the color Lake Hylia had once been when the sun had cast its rays across it, lighting up the water.

Then she blinked, and remembered exactly what it was she was here to do.

She cursed herself again (dammit, this was no time ogling her charge) and she straightened herself, clearing her throat and hopefully looking like she knew what she was doing instead of how she actually felt, which she didn't.

"You are… the Hero of Time, am I right?"

Link's mouth twitched in annoyance. "That was what I was told, yes." He'd noticed the way her eyes had looked over him, her dark gray eyes that were somehow familiar to him, and the way it made him feel. Not quite like he was being judged, but more like he was being… appraised. He wasn't sure why, but that thought made his cheeks flush slightly.

She cracked him a slight smile, and it relaxed him a little to see that she appeared just as uncomfortable as he was.

"It's good to know that I have the right person," she said. Her voice had a rich quality to it too. Something compelled him to ask her, "How do you I am the right person?" And he was strangely glad that she seemed to realize her mistake. "Oh! Ah, well…" Her eyes looked him over again, this time searching him for an answer to his question. After a moment, her eyes widened, and she pointed at the sword on his back.

"You have that," she said, "No one else would." Link saw she had a point.

And then reality came crashing back to him. His eyebrows knit together as he stared at a point on the stones off to her right.

"So what is it you want of me? Auru, the Sage of Light, told me that you would be my guide. Do I have that right?" The girl's expression changed into a surprised emotion he could not name.

Ashei mentally gasped. Auru was a _Sage_?

Well, no matter. She still had that job to do. Slowly, she nodded, answering his question with a quick, "Yes, you do." She brushed off a bit of nonexistent dirt from her pants and looked back up at him again, careful to steel herself from the striking clarity of his eyes.

"I was indeed sent here to be your guide in your quest to destroy the Evil King and restore peace to Hyrule." The words rolled off her tongue as if she'd been practicing them for hours. Yeah, now they came to her. "We should leave town as soon as possible, then. You should probably know that since the Princess escaped Ganondorf seven years ago, she has not been since. Also I trust you know what happened to the castle as well."

She watched as the young man stiffed. Uh oh. She guessed he _didn't_ know.

Link's heart stopped. In a moment, it began again, beating faster, forcing him to take shorter, deeper breaths, creating heat and warmth in his hands and on his face… what did she mean by that? He suddenly had very _bad_ feeling pooling sick heat in his gut. The urge to run was becoming very hard to ignore. He had to see the castle. The castle would prove everything… maybe, if it were all right, he would wake up from this nightmare. He had to!

He couldn't help himself. Suddenly his feet were no longer his own, and they sent him thudding across the stones and pavement through the ruined alleys toward the main plaza and the entrance to the path up to the castle.

"Oh… blast it!" Ashei cursed. She turned to Anakin and Obi-Wan. "Come on, follow me!" They did so without another word, running behind her at her left and right as she sprinted after the young man in the green tunic and battle gear. As Ashei was running after the Hero, she noticed something about the way he ran… he was avoiding the alleys where they passed the occasional ReDead or several of them, and he appeared to do so instinctively.

It baffled her. She'd been able to do that once she'd trained herself after about a year… he had to be a Force-sensitive if not a Force-adept as well.

She finally caught up to him when he stopped just a few feet away from the edge of the huge crater of lava over which Ganon's Castle floated. Ashei sensed she should stop a few feet away from the young man, to give him some space, though she didn't know why. Almost everyone knew what had happened to Hyrule Castle after the last Knight was slain and the entirety of Castle Town burnt to the crumbling shell it was now. Why didn't he?

When Link arrived at the castle, he was… stunned. Speechless. The tears that had pricked his eyes before now ran down his face to fall uncaught, or unwiped, splattering the ground, his boots, a bit of his undershirt…

Bones littered the path, human skulls, teeth, femurs… huge chunks of stone lay scattered of half buried under mounds of dirt, the huge entryway that had once been the main gate into the castle partly buried in fallen debris from the cliffside. The remains of what used to be the steps that once led up to the castle's main doors were almost completely buried, the outlines of what remained now leading up to a death drop into the lava crater.

"I…" Link's voice cracked, "I did this?"

Ashei was overcome with a deep sadness, but she kept it to herself. She shook her head, even though he couldn't see her. "No, you didn't…" He turned to her and the two Jedi, shaking his head. "You don't understand, when I… when I drew the sword, I opened up the way for him… he took a piece of the Golden Power and… did this!" He took a step closer to her involuntarily, shaking his head faster. "_I_ did this! I knew I shouldn't have, but I thought that if I only had the sword, I could… but the Princess… oh…"

Then he stopped and stood very still. His voice cracked a little in places and she could now see the tears that ran down his face. A wave of compassion flooded her, and she quickly reached for both his wrists to pull his hands away from his anguish-stricken face, letting them fall to his sides as she began to wipe his tears away.

It was strange, that his tears would make his already strikingly clear eyes even clearer, not cloudy.

"No," she crooned, "you didn't do this… _he_–" She paused, realizing how inappropriately close she was and then she released him to step away and ponder something that had been tickling the edge of her thoughts for more than a few moments now.

"If you drew the sword seven years ago, why… why _didn't_ you use it against him?" She watched his face as he closed his eyes and frowned, regaining a little of his composure and wiping the remaining tears that managed to squeeze past his closed lids. "You don't know." It _almost_ sounded like a question, the tone ghosting on incredulous, but also… sad. Or something else… resigned, perhaps? But it _was_ a statement.

When he opened his eyes again, he met hers and the weight of the emotion in them hit her so hard, it knocked the very breath out of her. "You don't know," he said again, "what happened when I drew it from the pedestal…" He shook his head, his expression one of pain and loss, but he kept going.

"I wasn't old enough to wield the sword, so… I… my soul was…." He winced, "My body and soul were both kept in the Scared Realm for the past," – he winced again – "seven _years_… until today, the day I was supposed to be ready for… for this task of wielding this weapon and defeating Ganondorf." He sighed, managing not to close his eyes this time, but instead gazing mournfully with half-lidded eyes at a spot on the ground near his feet.

"Please forgive me if I seem a little… addled. Everything is so unfamiliar to me now, including my body and even parts of my own mind… I just… I don't know. I don't… know." Ashei stared the young man. He'd been kept in the Scared Realm all this time?

"And… you don't have any memory of it? At all?" He stood up a little straighter and shook his head, still looking weather-beaten, but better than what he'd been a few moments before.

"No, none…" he said quietly.

Tears began to prick at her own eyes as the pieces fell into place. She tried to imagine what it was like, not knowing how your own body worked, or even how your mind worked. But she took deep breath and blinked the tears away. Perhaps getting him away from here and to Kakariko would give him the time he needed to sort through his thoughts. The library there might help too, if she could find the right books…

Her gaze shifted to him again and she straightened up as well, clearing her throat. "Well, I meant what I said about getting away from here. Perhaps if we went to the library at Kakariko, we might be able to find you some answers." She smiled at him, hoping it would cheer him up a little. She didn't expect it to do much, so she was surprised when he actually managed a small smile back her.

"I suppose… that's only fair." His voice was still quiet, but it was steady again. That was a good sign. She nodded in agreement. "Well, perhaps before we leave, we could introduce ourselves? I don't fancy calling you 'Hero' all the time any more than I think you would fancy calling me 'Guide' or some such." He grimaced. "Huh. I quite agree with you there."

She noticed there seemed to be some sort of… resentment in his voice.

Where did that come from? Hmm.

"My name is Ashei," she said, "and my companions are Anakin and Obi-Wan," she gestured to each one, the younger being Anakin and Obi-Wan the older of the two.

Link frowned. Some of his recent memories (and by recent, he meant the three days he'd spent gathering the Spiritual Stones _before_ he'd drawn the sword from its pedestal) were a little fuzzy, yet the names she offered him stirred up two particular meetings that he couldn't quite recall.

"Ashei…" he said slowly, rolling the name across his tongue, "I… know that name." She raised one thin, dark eyebrow. "Really? How would you…?"

Suddenly she looked up, and frowned at what she saw. It was a tiny person… a girl with blue curls, clad in a blue slip, and sporting two pairs of tiny, translucent wings. She bit back a gasp, and then looked the young man over again, going over the details. He had blond hair, blue eyes, wielded a sword, wore a green tunic, and… had a fairy companion.

"Wait a minute, you're… Link?" She tilted her head, though her face wore an expression of disbelief. "And is that… Navi?"

Navi decided it was as good a time as any to reveal herself. She fluttered off to Link's right side, making sure to stay well in his range of vision while she nodded her tiny head in Ashei's direction. Navi grinned at her and tried to compare her to the girl she vaguely recalled from her memory.

"Yes, it's me. If I had recognized you I might have shown myself sooner. I just didn't think it would be wise to let the whole world know that I was his fairy companion, since most Hylian children, let alone adults, don't really come into contact with fairies much. And, well, if one were to have a fairy in their company…" she trailed off, letting Ashei finish the thought. "It would draw some measure of attention, yes. Good thinking there."

Then Ashei's mind ran over a piece of the conversation and she grinned.

"You really didn't recognize me?" Navi shot her a look. "Seven years have passed since we last saw you, you know. Things change. People change."

Link raised an eyebrow; lowering his head slightly so long stands of his blond hair fell in his eyes. "But Kokiri don't change…" he said, watching Navi closely. She frowned and attempted a sympathetic shrug, but suddenly whimpered and doubled over, breathing hard. Link stood up straighter, all traces of irritation wiped from his system, and reached out for her, catching her in his cupped palms to look her over.

"Navi!" he whispered shortly, "Navi, what's wrong?"

Navi sat up wearily, blinking slowly through the pain. "I'm fine, it's just… I felt all this dark energy all of a sudden." She paused to take breath and put a hand to her face to cover it. "I just need some time to get used to it, that's all." Link nodded, and brought her on level with his hat.

"Here, get back in my hat then. You'll be safe there."

Navi complied, muttering something about not putting her next to the stupid Cucco and Link smiled a little; only slightly sighing once he confirmed she'd settled in. Ashei looked over the scene, impatient to get away.

"She'll be all right, won't she? And what was that about 'not putting next to the Cucco'?" Link's little smile widened just a bit more. "You… don't want to know. And sure, she'll be fine." But then he paused to frown, as if noticing a bad smell in the air. "But she's right about that dark energy…" He glanced behind him to look at the castle and turned around again to meet her eyes.

"Well, there's not much we do about that right now." He straightened up, brushing off some nonexistent dirt from his tunic. "Let's get moving now. To Kakariko, you said?" Ashei nodded, "That's right. Do you mind if I take point?" Link frowned, but then his mind supplied him with the memory of what that was. "No, sure. Go ahead."

Link was about to fall into step behind her when another memory stirred that made him pause at turn his head in Anakin's direction. "Excuse me, but… have we met before?" The young man seemed about his age, with most of his golden brown hair cut short except for a ponytail in the back. He was almost as tall as Link was, and his own brown eyes were just as piercing. And though Link didn't expect him to say yes, Anakin did frown as if he seemed to recognize Link from somewhere, but couldn't remember.

"I don't think so." Then he grinned. "I think I'd remember that fairy of yours."

Link nodded, humming in agreement, but the memory still hung on the edges of his mind, unable to be recalled. So he simply motioned for the two Jedi to take the rear guard positions and the three of them jogged after Ashei until they caught up with her. The four travelers managed to get through most of the city unnoticed, but just as they were reaching the last corner that rounded off into the southern thoroughfare, Link noticed something out of the corner of his eye as they passed a large, tattered tent.

"Hey Ashei, do you know if–"

An ear-splitting scream pierced the air around them. Link tried to look around, see where it was coming from, but… he found he couldn't move his head, or any other part of his body for that matter. His insides were quivering in fear, though, and that thing he'd caught moving in the corner of his eye turned out to be this sluggish corpse-looking _creature_ with bits of skin and muscle clinging to its frame, and two gaping holes where the eyes should have been. Link kind of wished that he could scream, too.

The thing was getting closer and closer, and Link still couldn't move. Parts him could; he could breathe again, and twitch his fingers a little. Maybe, if he could angle them _just_ right…

It turned out he didn't need to do anything. Ashei had recovered before he did and drawn her short white sword, leaping at it with a peculiar, though obviously practiced frenzy. She refused to give the creature even another second of time in which to release its scream again, and finally, after about a minute's persistence, the creature dropped to the ground, truly dead.

Ashei scowled at it, and stalked towards the tattered remains of the tent, tearing off a piece of the fabric to wipe the disgusting gunk from her sword.

Finally all feeling returned to Link and his other two companions, and Link shuddered. "What _was_ that?" he asked Ashei, looking pointedly in the direction of the now completely decomposed corpse thing. Ashei looked up at him, her eyebrows raised. "You never encountered them before?" Link shook his head, still glaring at the spot where its remains were festering.

"I think I would remember if I did." He spat, though it was directed at the dead creature and not at Ashei. She chuckled quietly. "Yeah, I guess so. Well, those _things_ are what most of us call ReDeads. They release a scream to paralyze their victims and eventually eat them when they catch up to them."

Link shuddered again. "Ugh… they eat _people_?" Ashei frowned, tossing away the rag and sheathing her sword again. "Well, yes. Mostly they just sort of suck your life force from you, but a few of them do bite… though it's not like you'll turn into one of them if you're bitten."

"That's nice to know," Anakin muttered. Link grinned slightly, grateful that someone else shared the sentiment. "All right, Anakin…" Obi-Wan muttered.

"C'mon boys," Ashei called, "let's keep moving!"

Link glanced back at the two Jedi with a shrug and a half smile before he followed after her. "Demanding, isn't she?" Anakin said to Obi-Wan.

"Hey, I heard that!"

Anakin winced. They could hear Link chuckling and Obi-Wan leaned over next to Anakin's ear to whisper, "I think you should try to keep your insults to a minimum Padawan, or it might not be me who delays your Knighting Ceremony…" He broke away, grinning, and followed.

"What…? Hey!" Anakin ran after them.

Link stumbled across a loose stone when he saw what had happened to the south gate. It had been broken in two, trampled over by something heavy, and other pieces of that were either floating on or collecting at the bottom of the moat. "Are they all like that? The other gates, I mean." Ashei shrugged and helped him across. "I don't know. The east gate was under construction at the time so it might look like this… or it might be worse. I think the west gate is pretty much intact, since Gerudo Valley, the place where Ganondorf comes from, is in that direction."

Link nodded. "Anything else I should know about what's changed since Ganondorf became King?"

Ashei flicked her head towards the forest that was east of the gate. Link whistled softly. "And all that's grown in seven years." Ashei nodded. "There's some pretty nasty monsters in those woods, too. So most of the people who fled to Kakariko sort of stay there… unless they know how to defend themselves somehow."

"Do you know what kind of monsters inhabit this area?" Obi-Wan asked. Ashei looked towards the first line of trees and frowned. "I haven't come across very many on my trips here, but there are some Stalfos wandering about. I've seen several wild Poes too, but they never usually bothered me. Some of the villagers also talk about the occasional Moblin wandering around in the places where the trees are the thickest, but… I haven't seen any. Or heard any. They're supposed to be huge…"

"Sometimes," Link said quietly as they began walking, "it doesn't matter how big something is. If it can be quiet, it'll be quiet. So trust me, it's not any _sound_ you should be listening for."

"Hmm," Ashei hummed in agreement, "you have a point."

Link kept his head low, however, his long Hylian ears twitching at every sound. He reached out with his magic as well, just to see what he could find, but in the end he came up with nothing.

He wasn't quite sure what had tipped him off in the end, whether it was the unnatural silence, the dampness in the air that reeked faintly of rancid Cucco, or the shadow that he realized – almost too late – was walking parallel to theirs. He cursed his magic for failing to warn him, not knowing he had been searching with the wrong kind of magic, and quickly tackled Ashei to the ground once he saw the shadow of sharp-tipped spear rising high in the air above them.

"Look out, Ashei!"

Obi-Wan hadn't been expected the green-clad young man to leap into the air and tackle Ashei to the ground. Automatically, he reached for his lightsaber to attack him, but he quickly realized the reason why Link had tackled Ashei.

A huge, lumbering giant creature was coming around the edge of the natural crossroad in the forest. It was armored, with large, lumbering feet and a dog-like face that had a pig's nose and glaring red eyes. If he had to take a guess, Obi-Wan would put down half his stash of Republic credits to bet that this was one of those Moblin creatures Ashei had warned them about.

The young man, Link, had also been right. Obi-Wan hadn't noticed a thing.

He threw out his left arm to stop Anakin from attacking as Link scrambled to his feet, dragging Ashei with him. The poor thing was still dazed, but her eyes were following the movements of the Moblin and the long spear it carried in its thick, beefy hands.

Ashei stared at the creature, wild-eyed. That thing had… almost killed her. If Link hadn't tackled her to the ground, she'd be part of that thing's shish kebab!

"T-Thanks," she managed, before finally finding her footing and easing herself out of his strong grip. She looked up at the Moblin, trying to decide how best to go about this. "We could try decapitating it," she muttered. "Not sure we should try that," Link said, pointing at its neck as he dodged a sweeping swing of its spear. "Its neck is thicker than a tree trunk!" Anakin grinned at him off to his right. "Not for a lightsaber! Watch this!"

"No, wait!" Link and Obi-Wan shouted. Link added after that, "You'll be–!"

THWACK!

Anakin was thrown clear across the little clearing, landing somewhere behind Link and Ashei's vantage point.

"…thrown out of the way." Link finished belatedly, sighing.

He glanced back at the Moblin. "There's no way we can get close to it as long as it's able to see us!" He cursed. He kind of wished he had his slingshot, or his boomerang. Or something.

Ashei gasped. "I can do something about that!" Link glanced at her incredulously. "You can?" She nodded fervently, unhitching her longbow and drawing two arrows from her quiver at once. She notched them both on the same finger and only had half a second's aim before she let them fly… straight into each of the creature's eyes. It cried out in pain as it clawed its eyes in an attempt to pull the arrows out.

"Good thinking, Ashei!" Link breathed. He saw Obi-Wan out of the corner of his eye and called to him. "Why don't you try? See if you can cut through that armor and expose its chest!" Obi-Wan, already on that path, had drawn his lightsaber and was already running. He executed a downward right-to-left diagonal slash, the controlled plasma of the lightsaber peeling off the metal like a blanket. The armor fell to the ground with a loud, crashing sound, bringing the monster's attention to Obi-Wan, even though it couldn't see.

It threw _him_ sailing across the air and against a thick tree. "Master!" Anakin called. He'd only just gotten up and was running for Obi-Wan, distracting Link from Ashei's signal.

Ashei had signaled to Link to tell him see was going to try and make a pass on the creature, but she suddenly to realized that her plan wasn't a very good one. She'd run straight across some of the shreds of armor, drawing the Moblin's attention to her. It readied its spear, twirling it around in its huge hand and winding its arm back to throw it like a javelin. Ashei screamed.

Link's head snapped up. Obi-Wan and Anakin looked too, but couldn't see what exactly had made the girl scream. Link saw it, though, and didn't hesitate to draw the pulsing sword from his back. Link growled, his energy spiking and feeding the light the sword gave off; blinding what remained of the creature's sight. The spear had already left its hand but was sure to miss its mark, so Link charged it, swinging his arm around in a great spinning slash that cut the monster completely in half and sent sparks flying.

His momentum unfortunately carried him into the nearest tree, which he used his shoulder to bear the brunt of the impact, sliding down the tree to rest on the ground, breathing hard, the Master Sword still clutched tight in his grasp.

And then there was silence. No one moved except to breathe.

The Moblin burst into pale blue flames, and burned into dust, which was carried away by the wind. It was Ashei who moved first. The spear the Moblin had thrown had indeed missed her, though it had buried itself up to almost a quarter of its length in the dirt, the rest of the weapon's body sticking up from the soil between her feet. She stumbled away from it, spurring Anakin to help his Master up from the ground and drawing Link's attention. He pulled himself up using the tree and walked over to the spear.

"Are you all right, Ashei?" he asked her quietly. When he didn't get any response, he looked up from the spear to her face, and noticed that she was staring at the sword. He quickly sheathed the brilliantly glowing blade, but she still looked at him with a mixture of fear and awe plastered to her face.

"Come now Ashei, it's only – oh!"

Link fell forward, grasping the body of the spear for support. His vision swam for a moment, and he blinked rapidly as he tried to clear it. His muscles felt sore and drained, almost like he'd run for miles in an instant. Ashei's lethargy evaporated and she hurried to support him, Obi-Wan and Anakin running over as Navi fluttered out of Link's hat.

"Link," she asked quickly, "are you hurt?" He shook his head and pushed away from the spear, though it was a few moments before he could keep himself upright on his own again. "I'm fine," he murmured, "I just… felt really tired all of a sudden…"

Navi's wings trilled with a bell-like sound. "It's because you used to much of the sword's power! You really need to learn how to use its power efficiently; it's not enough to know how to be good with the sword!" Link shot her a look. "Gee, thanks for that vote of confidence there, Navi." She shrugged, and then flew over to sit on his shoulder and recover.

"You should find someone to train you…" she suggested as she brushed some of her curls behind her right ear. Link nodded sharply.

"Well, before we do that, we really should find some shelter," Ashei said. "Kakariko's not far from here if we run. Can you do that, Link?" He nodded, finding the energy flowing back into him and restoring most of his functions. "Yes, I think so. Let's hope we don't run into any more of those… what?"

His ears twitched. "Do you hear that?" he asked quietly, lowering his head again and tilting it to the side. Anakin frowned. "I don't hear anything." Obi-Wan shook his head. "You wouldn't be able to; Hylians have much better hearing than we do, even with our Force-enhanced reflexes. I read about it on the way here." Anakin hummed shortly and folded his arms. Link shook his head and began listening again.

"Sounds like it's coming from…" "…there!" Ashei pointed to the underbrush. Link tensed, readying himself for another fight, but he was surprised to see what greeted them. Or rather, _who_ greeted them.

"Impa!" he breathed, "Is that you?"

The tall, armored woman stood at the edge of the clearing, poised for attack. She frowned, looking him over. "I am Impa, yes. Elder Leader of Kakariko Village. But you…?" Link straightened, bowing slightly to acknowledge her status.

"Elder Impa, I am Link. You taught me Princess Zelda's Lullaby seven years ago when I snuck into the castle to find her." Impa's eyes gleamed in the light of the flame that burned in the torch she carried. "And how do I know you are who you say you are? As you said, that was seven years ago." Now Link frowned at her, not sure what to do. Then he remembered asking Ashei that same question hours earlier, and what she'd said about his sword.

Slowly, and carefully, he drew the Master Sword from its scabbard. He presented to her, making sure his wrist was exposed, and the Triforce symbol etched in the sword's metal was clearly visible. Impa's expression changed dramatically when she caught sight of it, and she even cracked a smile.

"So… it is you. That scrawny little thing from seven years ago?" She looked him over, and Link blushed slightly under her scrutiny. "Well, you've certainly become the picture of a Hero, haven't you?" Link scowled. "Don't start with that!" Impa laughed. "And you behave exactly as I thought you would." She grinned down at him. "All right, then. Link it is. Put the sword away, I don't need proof of your identity anymore." Then she caught sight of Ashei standing off to the side.

"Oh! Ashei, too? So Auru saw you trained, I see. Good…" She looked up at the two Jedi standing behind Link. "And you are the ones the Jedi Council sent to help us? May I ask why you've only arrived just now?"

Obi-Wan bowed slightly as Link had. "Please forgive our lateness. We did not receive the message until only a few days ago. It was most likely due to the fact that the transmitter was destroyed sometime after sending the message. You're lucky it even got through." Impa thought about it for a moment, but then stood straighter and nodded. "Very well then. At least you've come to aid us now."

She turned slightly. "It'll be dark soon and you'll need a place to stay for the night. Whatever you've come to Kakariko to do, you can do it in the morning. Come, and I'll take you to my house for tonight."

Suddenly, Ashei stomach growled. Loudly.

Impa grinned. "I suppose dinner could be included as well, child." Then she began walking in the direction of the village, laughing to herself. Link looked at her, blinking like he couldn't believe she just done that. She saw his look and threw up her hands in a defensive gesture.

"Hey, it's not like I can control when that happens!" Link shook his head and sheathed the Master Sword, heading past her to follow Impa to the village, Anakin and Obi-Wan following not far behind.

"Uh, guys?" Ashei asked quietly. "Hey, guys!" Nothing. She sighed, exasperated, and proceeded to run after them, making her even hungrier in the process. "Guys, _wait up_!" And that set the whole group to laughter, even Link chuckling little.

_Perhaps_, he thought, _with this kind of company, this whole journey thing might not be so bad…_

Who knew, he might even like it.

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><p>I was originally planning to get to the ranch and Forest Temple by the end of this chapter, but… that didn't happen. It was like page 14 and they weren't even halfway to Kakariko yet so I was like, shoot. I'll make them bunk in Kakariko for the night if they want to go so slow.<p>

But the hookshot, ranch, and the Sacred Meadow should all be in the next chapter. See all of you in two or three weeks! :)


	12. A Master's Teacher

Chapter Twelve: A Master's Teacher

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><p>Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force<p>

Chapter: 12

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: I have a kite, a figurine… that's about all I own. Seriously.

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

Author's Notes- School is pretty good so far… I even understand most of my Calculus homework. It's kind of weird… but well, I can't complain. Still, I'd like to remind you that updates will be kind of erratic depending on what I'm doing (or not doing – I procrastinate even when I'm writing sometimes) but I won't stop working on this. This should definitely be done by January if not like December or something. But, yeah. That's just a reminder. Oh, and I'd like to remind you that reviews make me (inclined to) update on time. So do that! All right, go, enjoy the fruits of my labor. Just be sure to thank me for it. :D

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><p>When Link opened his eyes and saw beams of thick, sturdy wood bracing the walls and the ceiling, he thought for just a moment that he was back home in forest, and the past four days had been nothing but a nightmare.<p>

Unfortunately, once other things that hung in the edges of his vision caught his eye, he realized that it hadn't been a dream at all, though it could possibly still be considered to be a nightmare. He saw the sword and the leather band leaning against the wall with his Hylian Shield and he stared at it.

He wasn't aware of it, but his eyes held a soft, weary look that didn't belong on his youthful face. It belonged on a much older man, and the soul inside this young man was even younger than he appeared, since the four days that he remembered in his mind actually consisted of four days and seven years to everyone else. He sighed, and got up to walk through the quiet house – Impa's house, he dimly remembered – and made his way to the front porch in his bare feet, tan leggings, and thin white undershirt.

Link sat on the far side of the simple, yet artfully carved wooden bench on the porch, and stared after the beginnings of the morning sunrise. He wasn't sure what time it was – his Goron Bracelet had disappeared along with the rest of his childhood weapons – but he didn't really mind. The slowness of the early hour was soothing, and he let it wash over him and calm his mind.

For a long time, all that seemed to exist was the silence. He didn't even notice when another early riser padded out to the porch and sat down beside him on the bench.

"Hello, Link."

Link sat up straighter; he ought to have been more alert. But he simply let the thought go, it wasn't worth it to pursue that train of ideas. He glanced over at the speaker, and found it to be Obi-Wan. He raised one eyebrow. Had the Jedi sought him out, or was he just trying to get to make conversation with the only other person who was actually up at this hour?

"Hello, sir."

The older man laughed softly, a smile tugging gently at the corners of his mouth.

"Don't call me that, please. It makes me feel old. Only Anakin, my Padawan, is obligated to call me that." Link relaxed, and returned the gesture with a slight smile of his own. "All right then. But I can't promise you it won't happen again. Force of habit, you see." Obi-Wan nodded, the smile fading, though it lingered in the light of his eyes.

"At least you have a habit. I can barely get Anakin to have manners on command!"

Link laughed softly and threw his head back; righting himself and looking back at the sunrise once the laughter had passed. "Perhaps that's your problem. He doesn't strike me as the type to be trained to do everything. I think, as far as manners are concerned, simple positive reinforcement would do quite nicely." Obi-Wan shook his head.

"Unfortunately, such an approach would entice attachment, something Anakin is inclined to do far more often than most Jedi." Link frowned. "Why is that a bad thing? Attachment?" Obi-Wan seemed surprised. "Attachment is not a bad thing. It just creates more problems than it solves, which is why we are discouraged against forming those attachments." Link's mouth twitched in a smile. "I see. I had just assumed from the tone of your voice that it was. Though, I must say, what you've just told me cannot always be true. You are his teacher; it is only natural for a student to form a bond with their teacher. Such things should not be fought."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Perhaps you're right. Anakin is… special. Things with him work differently." Link hummed quietly. "And you said that these attachments are only discouraged, did you not? They are not expressively forbidden?" Obi-Wan shook his head. "No, I suppose not. It's possible I might take your suggestion into consideration."

He paused to turn slightly in Link's direction and look him over.

"You know, you sound different than I would assume someone of your age usually would." Link frowned, his expression becoming vaguely bitter.

"Hmm. You forget, I was trapped in that place for seven years… I drew the sword as a child and woke up as an adult. But, I don't know anymore. How old I am. Physically, I know how old I am. I should be seventeen, I think. But as for my age internally… well. That kind of experience certainly throws you for a loop. That, and this Din forsaken quest…" He sighed, reaching up with his right hand to thread his fingers through his rumpled blond hair.

"I don't know old I am anymore… but I feel older than I should be. Like I've lost something I can never get back." He gave the older man a sad smile.

"That may be why I sound different than what you would expect me to sound like." Yet, after a moment, Link's sad smile morphed into something a little lighter. Not happier, but lighter. "Though I suppose, it is the circumstances of our lives that make us who we are, and tell us how fast we need to grow. I might feel and sound older than I should be, but perhaps, this is the way I need to feel if I am going to complete the task I was given."

Then he simply sat back to enjoy the sunrise. Obi-Wan sat back too, and thought about what Link had said. He could no longer think about the man sitting beside him as 'young' at all. And there was a strange truth to his words that one could not ignore; a power that burned and molded thoughts just as his mind tricks did, but with a more honest and forthright persuasion.

Suddenly, he could not find the words to describe the rightness of it all. He could match snippets of it to insufficient words like purpose, existence, or appropriateness… but none of them even came close to describing how absolutely necessary Obi-Wan could sense that their presence here was.

Or how much the fate of the entire universe depended on their success.

Enough time had passed that the sun had finally risen over the horizon and Link could hear the beginnings of stirrings inside the house. He smiled, remembering the knowledge that his hearing was far better than Obi-Wan's. The older man noticed his smile and asked him about it.

"What's so funny?" Link grinned. "Miss Anju is getting dressed so she can make us breakfast. I think we should go wake up our companions and do the same." Obi-Wan laughed darkly. "Good luck getting Anakin to wake up." Link's grin widened even more, if that were possible.

"I have just the thing."

Moments later, a deafening Cucco crow echoed through the house, and was subsequently followed by a lot of swearing in a decidedly masculine voice.

"I am going to kill that bird…" Anakin grumbled as he picked up his clothes and stumbled into the bathroom. "I wouldn't try that," Link called after him just before he shut the bathroom door, "because believe me, I have." After the door slammed shut, Obi-Wan was staring over Link's shoulder at the fluffy white creature.

"Hey, can I have that?" Link grinned. "Sure, if we live through this."

Ashei stared thoughtfully at the little bird. "Now Navi's comment about the Cucco makes sense… you keep it in your hat?" Link shrugged. "It's not like I can keep it anywhere else, and it won't leave me alone…" Ashei laughed.

"It's not so funny when you're the one who's on the receiving end of that thing," Navi muttered. Link hummed shortly in agreement.

Once they were all dressed and ready, Anju began to serve then breakfast. Link appreciated the meal more than his companions, since it was the first hot meal he had eaten in a long time. "It was nothing, really," she told him, "it's the least I can do to be a good host."

"You're already invaluable to me," said Impa as she walked into the dining room, "and I appreciate the service you've done for my guests." Anju nodded as she finished up her portion of the food, getting up to serve her mistress and eventually exiting the house to go tend her Cuccos. Impa turned to Link as she ate and spoke directly to him between bites.

"So what exactly is it that you've come to Kakariko for? I believe… there isn't much here that would be able to aid you in your quest, child." Link shook his head. "That's not what I was told. Someone named Sheik told me to go to Kakariko's Graveyard to looked for something that could give me access to the Forest Temple. Do you know if there is anything of note there that might be useful?"

"Sheik… told you." Link straightened at the change of tone in her voice.

"Yes, why? Do you know him? He said he was a Sheikah." He watched Impa very carefully, but the iron-clad woman was as expressive as a stone.

"Yes, I believe I do know him…" she said quietly. Then her eyes locked on him sharply, setting Link's nerves on edge, and he very much wished his sword wasn't on the other side of the room. "So he sent you here to find something in the graveyard?" She closed her eyes and was quiet for a moment. After a few more moments she opened them and leaned back in her simple wooden chair.

"There might indeed be something of note there, but…" – here her lips turned upwards in a small smile – "the only one who might know where it is happens to be part of the graveyard's local population."

"What?" Anakin muttered, very obviously confused. Obi-Wan frowned, and decided to supply his Padawan with the translation. "She means the person who knows where this thing might be located is already dead. So who was it, and did they leave any clues as to where it might be?"

And what were they looking for?

"It was Kakariko's one and only grave keeper, Dampé. The man was… rather odd, but he occasionally said something about a 'treasure' he had hidden. No one could ever figure out if he was telling the truth, though perhaps there may be something to his story. However, as he is dead, no one actually knows. There might be clues to where it is inside his house, which is located inside the graveyard itself, so you should start there if you're brave enough." She grinned at the four of them, and Ashei frowned.

"You still haven't been able to find a replacement for him? It's been what, five years?" Ashei asked quietly. Impa shrugged. "No one will even set foot in there to pay their respects to the dead. Too many Poes wandering about, and not enough bowmen in the village to fend them off."

Ashei nodded. "I see. But they shouldn't be a problem for us." She stood up and nodded to their host, glancing at the rest of her companions.

"Shall we go?"

They nodded in turn and all began to stand to suit up for their travels. Impa held up a hand, asking them to wait. "Wait a moment." She motioned for Link to come to her, and he did, stopping at what he felt was a safe enough distance away from the warrior woman. She noticed his wariness and smiled.

"Hold out your right gauntlet for me, yes? Come now, I don't bite." She chuckled. "Much, anyway." Link realized she was simply joking and so held out his right gauntlet at her request. He wasn't sure what he expected her to do with it, so he was mildly surprised when she supplied him with an insert for the gauntlet that displayed a digital clock that was similar to the one that had been in his Goron Bracelet. He blinked at it, amazed.

"Thank you," he whispered. She waved him away. "It's nothing, child. Now, go suit up. And if you find whatever it is you're looking for, I would like you to come back for a lesson. That sword you're wielding is little more that if you don't have some measure of control, and I can teach you the basics."

Link nodded. "Of course, ma'am. We'll be back soon. I'm sure this won't take long." Impa smiled a sly smile, which almost made him want to take back his words, but the gleam in her eyes was fiery and hard. "Make absolutely sure you do just that, Hero." He almost flinched at the name, but had to settle for half a grimace since he could hear the order in her words.

He nodded again, and motioned for his companions to ready themselves.

After some asking around, and a little direction on Ashei's part, the four travelers eventually arrived at the Kakariko Graveyard. It was like most graveyards, littered with pathways and gravestones, some larger and some more important than others… but Link noticed there was a distinctly dark presence lurking in the area. It was damp, too. Reminded him of being inside the Deku Tree's underground root chamber. He didn't like it at all.

"We should hurry and find whatever that clue is. Impa said we should look in his house to see if he'd left a note or something. I don't like it here…"

The two Jedi felt much the same. Ashei had never liked the graveyard even before it had become infested with Poes and whatever else, so she quickly directed them so a small shack just around the right of the entrance. However, upon finding the door to the shack locked, she frowned, and paused a moment to call upon her inner calm and nudge the lock free with a small use of the Force. Link twitched behind her, sensing the change even before the lock clicked open.

"What was that you did just now?" He asked her quietly. She glanced back at him before opening the door and entering the shack. "A simple Force command. Most Jedi and Force-adepts are taught basic skills like the one I just performed." She frowned as she began pawing through the loose papers on one side of a wooden desk and added as afterthought, "Though most of them aren't taught to use such skills to ah… uh, pick a lock."

Anakin laughed softly. "You got that right. Hey!" He ducked in order to avoid a badly aimed punch from Obi-Wan. "Don't you go getting any ideas now, Padawan." Anakin grinned. "Oh, never!" Obi-Wan sighed.

Link simply chuckled at the exchange before turning back to Ashei.

"Hey, what is it we're looking for?" Ashei cast him a withering look, though her eyes shone fever-bright. "To be honest, I don't really know." She sighed, looking through the papers again. "Perhaps we should have asked Impa more questions… sheesh, who knew the village nut-job was actually a genius packrat?" Link shook his head and turned to a book lying on his side of the desk. Something was sticking out of the side, like a marker of some kind.

He picked it up and thumbed to passage that was marked. He frowned when the words that caught his eye weren't written in the common tongue. It was… some pretty ancient Hylian, though he found he could actually make most of it out. He reached out absentmindedly, aiming for Ashei's shoulder.

"Hey, hey! Look! I think I found something!"

His hand had pretty much missed its mark, coming very close to her chest, so she backed away and caught his hand while blushing furiously even though she knew he hadn't done it on purpose.

"What is it?" Obi-Wan asked, coming further inside with Anakin close behind him. Link frowned. "I think… I found Dampé's diary. But it's strange. It's written in a pretty archaic version of the written Hylian language… definitely hundreds of years old, if not thousands." Ashei looked over the text as well, though she could only manage to make out a few words and phrases. "Yeah. Strange. You sure you can read that?"

Link nodded, and flipped the page. He had a hard time keeping the book in his hands as something heavy almost slipped out of the pages.

"Hey," whispered Anakin, "is that a…" Ashei nodded. "It's a holo-disk."

Ashei picked it up out of the diary and Link set the book on the table. "A holo-disk? Stuck almost halfway through a dead man's diary?" Obi-Wan frowned. "Moreover, how are we going to play it? I don't seen how we can do that here…" Ashei set the disk down on the desk and knelt, crawling underneath the desk to pull something out and lug it on top of the sturdy wooden surface.

"That's how. I must admit it is pretty ancient, being almost like the record player of the holo-disk history, but… it should get the job done."

The contraption she'd pulled out from underneath the desk was similar to a record player in shape, though it lacked the megaphone or the standard needle that usually came with such a thing. There was simply a set of buttons along the top edge that faced the four of them, an inky black dot in the middle of it, and a thin rectangle on the side for something to be inserted.

Ashei pressed a button on the left side and the thing whirred to life, a clear white dot that Link hadn't spotted now glowing a soft green. She took the disk and pulled it carefully from its protective sleeve, inserting it into the player and pressing another button the Link assumed would play the disk.

And it did. It turned out the disk wasn't simply a verbal recording, but a visual one as well, since the inky black dot in the center of player flashed white and began creating a holographic image of a haggard looking young man who appeared to be in his early thirties, though it was hard to be sure. His tiny round glasses and short, wild auburn hair clashed starkly with his sharp cheekbones and stern eyes, making his age almost indescribable.

"Hello," said the hologram, "my name is Shad Dampé. I am sure you are probably wondering about a lot of things right now, my keepsake included." The hologram of Dampé frowned and paused for a moment as it muttered something like, "…and it is a keepsake, _not_ a treasure!" before shaking his head and straightening himself a little and continuing to speak.

"However, before I get to telling you where exactly my keepsake is located, I must tell you the exact circumstances of my death, even though they have not yet happened at the time of this recording. You see, the Poes that have been popping up more and more often lately see me, the graveyard's caretaker, as a threat, and so I am to be removed. I have a hypothesis that this removal may be underneath the Evil King's orders, but I have no proof."

Dampé paused, and angled his head as if listening for something, but he turned back to face the camera. "So that is what really happened to me, not whatever stories you may have heard floating about the village gossips. As for my keepsake, I buried it in my grave a long time ago, and it should still be there at the time of my burial with no one the wiser. Please, you have my permission to defile my grave and enter the tunnels beneath it. I don't have much time left in which to say that the only reason I even left this recording is because I glimpsed a bit of the future and saw whoever found this recording would need my keepsake to defeat the Evil King. And, since I have nothing better to do after I die, I think I shall challenge you first to see if you are worthy."

For the first time, the man grinned, and a fire burned in his sharp blue eyes.

"I'll be waiting for you, Hero of Time."

And then the recording shorted out, the time limit reached and the disk ejected. For a while, there was only silence, until Ashei turned to Link.

"So, ah… what now?" Link looked pointedly at her. "What else? We go find that grave and find those tunnels. Oh, and complete whatever test he's set for us as well. I see no better course of action." Behind him, Obi-Wan nodded, and as he began speaking, Link and Ashei turned to face him.

"I believe Link is right. While I wouldn't normally agree to something like this, there is a certain element that we can't ignore." Link nodded. "He made several references to things he couldn't have known at the time he recorded that, so based on that alone the information about the keepsake is credible. Trust is another matter, but… well…" Anakin nodded. "We're pressed for time, right?" Link hummed in agreement.

"Well!" said Ashei as she clapped her hands together, "I know which grave is his, so come on and follow me!" She paused at the door and looked back at Link. "Would you lock the door on your way out?" Link nodded. "Sure."

Anakin and Obi-Wan followed her out and Link after them. He took a moment to recall how the power Ashei had used felt to his senses and instinctually drew upon his calm to fuel the power that would bring the locking mechanism back into place. It clicked sharply and he smiled, turning back around to catch up with his companions as the gentle power calmed him. What had Ashei called it? The Force?

"Here it is!" Link looked up to see Ashei standing next to a particular gravestone with a familiar name on it: Shad Dampé.

"How are we supposed to move it to gain access to the tunnels?" Link asked, looking the thing over. Ashei walked behind the grave and motioned for him to come around. She pointed to some cleverly concealed handholds on the sides. "I think you can use these to pull it back, but…" Link grabbed the handles and pulled as hard as his adult strength would allow. The gravestone shifted, but it didn't move back as it had probably been intended to do.

Link swore under his breath. "Without a grave keeper, these graves have been unattended for five years!" Ashei nodded, frowning. "And some of the visitors usually clean them, too. So of course they'd be rusted."

She studied the gravestone and after a few moments, then turned to Obi-Wan with an idea. "Do you think it would be possible if one could push this back past the safety catches with just the Force?" Obi-Wan frowned. "Maybe… but you'd have an insane amount of control."

"Like Yoda, right?" Anakin supplied. Obi-Wan breathed sharply through his nose. "At the very least. And it's Master Yoda, Anakin."

Meanwhile, Link was crouching by the handholds, staring at the rust and grime. Maybe, if he could just… make it fall off? He studied the tracks underneath the gravestone as well, and took off his hat to dig through it for the bottle of water he hoped he still had in there. Sure enough, he did.

"You think it'll work?" he asked Navi quietly. She shrugged. "Water is water. I don't think it makes much of a difference how long it's been in that bottle." Link nodded and uncorked it, using the gentle power of the Force to peel the flakes off from the handholds and the tracks, using the water to clear away the debris and make the wheels of the gravestone functional again. He stood up, pulled on the handholds, and promptly fell backwards on the grass as the squeaky-clean wheels shot all the way to the end of the track, locking into place once it did so. Link sat up, shaking his head to get the grass out of his hair and realized that his three companions were staring at him.

"What, I got it open," he said as he pushed himself up. Ashei eyed him suspiciously. "How, exactly?" He shrugged. "Simple. I just pried off the rusty flakes and washed them away so the wheels could turn again. Easier than just trying to shove it past the safety catches, I thought."

"Well, it's certainly an inventive way of doing it…" Obi-Wan muttered.

Link waved a hand towards them. "It's open isn't it? Come on!" And then he jumped down the hole the gravestone had revealed that would lead into the tunnels. Ashei jumped in after him, and Anakin was about to follow before he turned to his master. "I swear, it won't be like the last time we went down a long dark tunnel!" Obi-Wan scowled. "Better not be… or I think this time I'll do more than threaten to have your head…" Anakin laughed and jumped down, Obi-Wan following after him.

Once all four travelers had safely landed on the bottom, Link and Ashei's ears twitched at the familiar sound of sliding stone. Ashei frowned. "Let's hope there's another way out?" Link simply shot her a look before heading down the dimly lit tunnel and out into a wide white room supported all around by white stone columns. He seemed almost surprised to see a plain redwood coffin lying on the center dais, with a transparent man sitting on top of it, reading a transparent book that was propped up on one knee.

The ghost looked over when he heard the four enter the room, and was slightly surprised himself when he caught of them.

"Shad!" Ashei gasped when she saw the man, "Is that you?"

The translucent man put down his book, which vanished into thin air once it left his fingers. He stared at Ashei for a moment, his thin faintly auburn eyebrows knitting together.

"I am Shad Dampé, yes. But you are… Ashei?" Shad sat up straighter, and blinked. "So you've come to retrieve my keepsake, hmm?" Link folded his arms. "Something like that." Shad grinned, the fire they'd seen burning in his eyes in the hologram burned in them now once he captured Link's gaze.

"Ah, the Hero." Link scowled. "I have a name…" Shad laughed. "And what is this name?"

"Link," he replied quietly.

Shad nodded, his grin relaxing into a smug smile. "Well now, Link, how about that challenge I proposed? Surely you found my hologram recording, otherwise you wouldn't be here!" Ashei frowned. "We almost couldn't get in… there hasn't been a grave keeper to tend the graves since you died, so no one's been to clean or maintain the graves for a long time. Yours had almost rusted through. Too many Poes about, you see. Or at least that's what Impa told us." Link nodded. "Though we'll take you up on that offer of yours."

"You sure that's wise?" Obi-Wan asked. Link simply gestured to the ghost, as if that made all the sense in the world. Obi-Wan shook his head while Anakin grinned slyly in silence.

Shad sighed. "I thought as much. Well, it's just as good you managed a way in then." He stood up on top of the coffin and stretched, looking down on them once he was finished. "Say my friends, are you fast on your feet? I may be a scholar, but since I became a Force ghost I've found myself to be an exceptional racing rival. So, let's have a race!"

He laughed. "Follow me if you dare!" Then he turned around and hopped off the opposite side of the coffin to run into the tunnels. Link and Ashei shared a look for the briefest of moments before Link dashed off after him, Ashei quickly motioning for Anakin and Obi-Wan to follow them as she bolted.

"Hey, Ashei!" Link called from somewhere father up, "Watch out for the daggers!" Ashei frowned, panting as she ran. "Wha-ah!" She skidded around a flying piece of metal that embedded itself in the ground behind her. "What was-ah!" Another dagger flew past her as she had to make a Force jump into the air to dodge it. "Sheesh, is he trying to kill us? What exactly does he think constitutes as a race?"

"Ah, this?" Anakin muttered under his breath.

"No kidding," said Ashei through gritted teeth, though her actual words were much less cleaner.

Finally, after ascending a large stone ramp in a tall room they entered a door and promptly collapsed on the floor once the realized they no longer had to run for their lives. Shad, looking rather smug and playing with a short, one handed dagger in his right hand, glanced down at the travelers with a smile.

"So, you made it! Very nice! You must be quite the runners to be able to keep up with me!" Ashei just sort of glared at him while the others simply stared at him incredulously.

"So…" Link began, "about that keepsake of yours?"

The dagger Shad had been playing with disappeared as he looked pointedly at Link. "Hmm. You waste no time, don't you? I suppose it's a good thing… perhaps the Evil King will be felled after all, with your go-to sort of attitude…" Shad's eyes became wistful, but he shook it off and held out his right hand in a gesture familiar to Link.

"My special keepsake is an object called a Hookshot. It's a spring-loaded chain that will pull you to any spot where its hook sticks. It will also pull any objects that are lighter than you are _towards_ you, instead bringing you to them." He stared fiercely at Link. "Did you get all that?" Link nodded.

"All right, here." He called a bright power that was also familiar to Link, though it was very different from the Force. It was magic. Link held out his left hand, pulling the magic to him like the Great Fairy had taught him.

Suddenly there was a bright flash of light, and a small blue and silver contraption sat in Link's hand, with a handle on one end and a sharp hook on the other. Shad nodded in approval as Link pocketed the mechanism. "Now, you'll have to oil it every so often, or the chain might snap at a critical moment. You can buy some oil from the Bazaar shop in the village, I think. So take very good care of that, you understand?" Link nodded.

"Yes, sir. Say, um… how do we get out of here?"

Shad grinned and gestured to a door behind him. "Just go through that door there. I promise, it's safe." His grin morphed into a bitter smile. "I wish all of you much luck. You'll need it." Then he disappeared, leaving no traces of him behind, except the memory of his presence.

"So that's what we came here to find?" Anakin asked skeptically.

"Yes," said Link, "it's something that I need apparently. Anyway, let's head back to the village. I need to make good on my promise to Impa."

The four of them headed through the tunnel and eventually came out on the top of a very brightly lit room where music flitted through the air constantly. Ashei first whimpered, then scowled once she saw where they were.

"Doesn't he understand the meaning of the word 'safe'? This isn't safe!"

Link simply shot her a look. "Ashei…" She rolled her eyes. "I know, I know… fine. Shutting up now." Link smiled a little and chuckled before jumping down to the floor, his companions following him.

"Hey," Anakin said once he noticed the man playing the musical instrument, "who's that? And where are we?" Ashei glanced over at the man and then their surroundings. "I think we're inside the windmill… so that must be the caretaker. I wonder why he looks angry…"

"Hey, um… sir?" Link asked timidly, "Are you all right?"

The man snarled. "No, I'm not all right!" Link took a step back, seeing the crazed gleam in the man's eyes. If this guy's crazy was contagious, he didn't want it. He quite liked his sanity.

""I'll never forget what happened on that day seven years ago… argh! It's all that Ocarina kid's fault! Next time he comes around here, I'm gonna mess him up!" Link jerked his head in the direction of the door, motioning for his friends to head that way. Once outside, Navi fluttered outside Link's hat, her glow diminishing until her tiny humanoid frame remained.

"What did he mean about 'that Ocarina kid'? Surely he didn't mean you? We never entered the windmill seven years ago…" Link frowned. "Maybe he's just nuts. Seems like we're attracting a lot of those people lately…"

So they shook off the encounter and made their way back to Impa's house. Impa was waiting for them, a long, thin sword strapped to her side.

"Well, let's begin!"

She took them to a fenced in area near the center of the village and people gathered to watch the spectacle, even Ashei, Anakin, and Obi-Wan sitting on the sidelines. For Ashei it was hard not to call out the mistakes Link was making with his footwork, but he growled at her as he locked blades with Impa, saying, "Do you think it matters to the monsters whether your footwork is correct?" Obi-Wan pointed it out to her that Link had a point.

Well, it wasn't like her fighting was any better. In fact, it was more animalistic than Link's was, but her blows hit more often in the places she intended them to, and she could get more of them in at a time, since her sword was shorter. However, when Impa commanded the pair of them to fight each other, she found that Link was faster on his feet than with his hands, and she had a harder time getting around that. His skillful use with the shield was something else, too. She'd always seen them as dull and clanking, but now she saw their uses.

"You're getting better at single combat," Impa gently praised Link as he wiped the sweat out of his eyes, "but I want to see how you fair with teamwork." She grinned. "You and Ashei against myself." Ashei raised one eyebrow and grinned. "Really, Impa? You think you could take the both of us?" Link scowled. "Ashei! This is a training exercise!"

She blushed, startled that she'd even let the words out of her mouth, but Impa waved them away. "Link is right, Ashei. It's not about whether I think I can take you, but how I am using the time I have to train you. Don't forget that thoughts like those can lead you down a darker path; resist them!"

Ashei nodded, and when Impa was certain that she'd regained control of herself, she called out the time. "All right, two minutes! Now begin!"

Link held back and let Ashei attack first, since she was faster. Ashei ran out of combo time, and Link saved her by blocking Impa's retaliation with his shield. He timed a strike, and it hit squarely across her chest plate. But the timer was still going, and Link knew in the back of his mind that two minutes was a long time on the battlefield.

Anakin and Obi-Wan had been training as well, but were now sitting atop the corral Link and Ashei were fighting against Impa in, gratefully sipping the chilled milk one of the villagers had offered them to help cool off.

"He's pretty good with that sword, isn't he?" Anakin observed as he watched Link fight. "And Ashei's not half-bad either, though."

Obi-Wan nodded. "She's better with her bow, but she's good with the blade as well. As for Link, his talent is natural. All he needed was a little refinement and tips for little mistakes. Now the blade in his hands is merely and extension of his own arm…" Anakin sighed. "I wish I had that natural talent with a sword… maybe if it were just like the way I fly I might be good enough to beat you." Obi-Wan shot him a look.

"I think, Padawan, if your natural talent with the blade were anything like your flying, you would not only beat me, but slice me into chunks of Jedi jerky." He chuckled. "But you did do very well today, trust me."

Anakin smiled, and Obi-Wan saw that he was honestly grateful for the compliment. Perhaps what Link had said to him earlier that morning wasn't quite so unfounded. "What about that sword Link has? Apparently it's something special." Obi-Wan nodded, but something about the Master Sword reminded him of something he couldn't put a name to…

"It behaves like a Force-imbued weapon like the white sword Ashei uses, yet it glows with an inner light that Ashei's sword does not. It almost behaves like a lightsaber in that respect, even though it isn't one. It's quite something indeed… oh?" Obi-Wan and Anakin sat up, noticing a critical point in the fight. Ashei had tripped and fallen onto the ground, Link angry because the move Impa had used had been uncalled for. He was readying his blade for something big, but Ashei called out to stop him.

"No, Link! Wait!" Link looked back. "Why? She–" "Jump backwards!"

Link caught sight of Impa's next move and did as Ashei asked, jumping backwards and readying himself for another command. Maybe, if he flung something at her, like a piece of dirt, she'd be distracted?

_Fling something! Anything!_ Ashei's voice called out in his mind.

The command was Force-driven, spurring a spike of that internal calm inside himself, properly realigning his sense of right and wrong. He cast out with the Force, picking up a rock and flinging it just past Impa's head so that her reflexes would have no choice but to pull her to it for the briefest of moments. Then he threw his shield at her, forcing her body to thud against the fence, and he leapt over Ashei in a single bound, holding the point of the Master Sword at Impa's throat just at the timer rang.

Impa grinned. "Very… well done," she said between breaths. "If you had not listened to Ashei, you would have lost." Link nodded, sheathing the Master Sword and picking up his shield. "Yes... I probably would have. And, I'm a little surprised that we were both thinking along the same lines at the end…"

"Where I told you to fling something at her?" Ashei asked. Link nodded. "Yes, exactly. I'd been thinking of doing the same thing before you told me to actually do it." Impa nodded.

"Well, sometimes the best fighting partners are the ones who follow the same game plan without even needing to talk about it. Wonderful collaboration, you two! Now, come here. I want to give you two something." She waved to two of the villagers, one who brought her a stool and the other who brought her a wooden box.

"Ashei first. Sit." Ashei saw the box, and her mouth dropped open. "No way… you really want to give me one?" Impa smiled. "A set actually. They were one of your mother's sets." Ashei blinked; suddenly tears began to prick her eyes as she sat down.

"You knew… my mother." Impa nodded and she pulled a small needle out of the box. "Yes, I did. She was one of the finest Sheikah I've ever had the pleasure of working with. She was very strong, like you. And so charismatic! She didn't need her pretty face to enchant your father at all! Just her voice…" Impa laughed softly. "I kind of wish he didn't have to die the way he did…"

Ashei was silent, not even whimpering when the needlepoint pierced each ear and healed it over just enough to leave a break for the emerald studs that Impa took from the box and placed in each ear.

"There. You're done. Link! Come here!"

Ashei nodded to Link and assured him it was nothing, so he walked over and sat down as Impa took another needle. "Now, I know you're not a Sheikah, but…"

"Ouch!" Link hissed softly when the second needle passed though his earlobe. Impa smiled at him. "Well, these are given to young Sheikah men when they become adults." She fastened two sapphire hoops, one in each ear, through the holes and stood back. "You've become a great warrior. I felt you deserved to have them."

Link felt the full weight of the responsibility of what earrings meant when Impa said those words. He gulped quietly as he nodded and Impa waved him away. "Now go. The temples are waiting." Then she hopped the fence and headed back into town. "Hey, I never said…" He shook his head. "Never mind."

The four of the suited up again and began the trek out of town. However, someone was watching them from the shadows of the alleys, not sure whether they should approach or not. Then, they remembered why they were there in the first place, and all fears dissipated.

"Hey, wait!"

They turned, and Link was surprised to actually recognize the person who had called for them to stop.

"Romani?"

The young man with the shoulder-length black hair and blue eyes skidded to a halt. "What? Oh… Link?" He seemed distressed, and his general appearance was quite disheveled. "Link, it's good that I've found you! I need you help!" Link frowned. "With what? Why aren't you at Lon Lon Ranch?"

Romani shook his head. "That's precisely why I need your help! Ingo threw my father out of the ranch two years after the Evil King came to power, and I only kept my position there by proving that I was useful to him." Link frowned. "Where is he now? Talon, I mean." Romani pointed to one of the houses behind him. "A woman in town has been looking after him since he came here. He's all right, but he's... well." Romani sighed. "That ranch is everything to him. Anyway, I looked after Malon to make sure that he didn't hurt her, because the way he looks at her…" He shuddered once before continuing. "He didn't used to do that in the beginning, but recently, he'd been mistreating the horses more than usual, and grabbing Malon and tying her up in ropes whenever she didn't complete a chore the way he'd told her to and... I just couldn't stand it anymore, so…" Romani sighed, exasperated, and growled softly under his breath.

"You were thrown out, too." Link finished. Romani nodded.

"I need you to help me… or at least Malon. She's strong, but I don't know how long she can last." Link glanced back at his companions. "Well?" Ashei nodded sharply. "At least for the girl. I met you once, I think, on a Market Day before the King was murdered. She had red hair, right?" Romani nodded. "And she's really sweet… too sweet. She'll get hurt."

Link put and hand on Romani's shoulder. "Come on. It's at least a two hours' walk so we should hurry if we want to get there before noon."

Though it was a two hours' walk as Link had said, the group preferred to run instead, though for the first half of the trip it was mostly just the drive to get out of the forest before they encountered another Moblin. Finally, just half an hour before the sun would reach its highest point, they reached the ranch. It was a lot quieter than Link remembered, and less welcoming. Romani slipped over to the door that led into the barn, and he motioned for everyone else to follow. Inside Malon sat with her back to the door, lying on a patch of straw with her face in her hands.

"I've done what you asked, Mister Ingo, sir…" she whispered quietly, "I can do it over if it's not to your liking, sir, please… just don't hurt me."

"No, Malon," Romani whispered, "It's me! I've come to help you!" She turned, gasping. "Romani! You shouldn't be here! Ingo will kill you if he sees you here!" Romani shook his head. "Shh! It's all right!" He grinned softly. "I brought friends." He looked back at the others, and by now Navi had floated out of Link's hat and was now fluttering around his head.

"Fairy boy!" Malon called quietly, smiling brightly.

Link grimaced. "I think I almost prefer 'Hero,'" he muttered. Ashei giggled. "'Fairy boy'?" Link pointed up at Navi, who began to glow a soft, blushing pink. Ashei did her best to hold in her laughter. Romani smiled, but looked sharply up at Link. "Hey, I've got to free Malon from her chains." He gestured to the chains they hadn't seen coming in. Obi-Wan swore.

"_Kriff_, it's Cortosis… one of the only metals that is resistant to lightsabers. _And_ it's got water circulating through it, too." Romani nodded. "I can disable the water and eventually pick the lock, but it'll take some time. I need you to distract Ingo and keep him from entering the stables, all right?" Link nodded.

"That, I can do."

The four of them exited the barn quietly and entered the ranch corral. They found the badly (though expensively) dressed ranch thief standing in front of the gates, eyeing them suspiciously.

"Well, what do we have here? Customers?" Link nodded. "Something like that." Ingo laughed, a harsh, barking sound. "Well now… where are ya'll coming from?" Ashei frowned. "Kakariko. Why?" Ingo paused and quickly snarled in response. "Kakariko, huh? Well I'll tell you why: it's because there's a lot of rumors going about right now that cheated Talon out of this ranch!" He folded his arms and spat of to the side to display his distaste.

"What a ridiculous notion! That good-for-nothing Talon was weak! _I_, the hard-working Ingo,was the only one who actually did anything for this place!" Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged looks as if to say, is this guy for real? They turned back to hear the rest of the guy's rant.

"I just don't want ya'll going out and spreading any more of that falsity!"

Ashei hummed quietly. "Oh, you can rest assured. We won't spread any rumors. We're better than folk than that, Mister Ingo."

Ingo grinned. "Well now, pretty lady... thanks for that. See, I was actually recognized by the great Ganondorf and _given_ this ranch! So now I'm raising a fine horse just for him, to thank him for giving this ranch to me! Say, would any of ya'll like to _ride_ one of these fine horses? Just pay 10 rupees for one minute! It's a steal!"

Sure, why not? Link paid the man 40 rupees, 10 for each of them, and Ingo let them in, closing the gates behind him. "All right! Pick any of the horses and just ride! Whoever's the best rider might even get a chance to race me!"

Everyone obediently scrambled for the nearby horses, but Link didn't want one of _them_. Maybe, that other horse… was she even still here?

And she was.

A brilliant russet colored horse stood on the other side of the field, grazing. Link wanted to run to her, but remembered the last time he'd been to the ranch, how she'd been afraid of him before he'd played her song. He fished for the Ocarina in his hat and pressed it to his lips, playing the tune quickly. Her ears twitched. She hadn't heard that music in a long time… she ran towards it, towards who was playing it, and she whinnied. It was him!

Link put the Ocarina away and held onto the horse tightly. She remembered him! And somehow, that made everything all right. He mounted her, sliding into the saddle as though he'd been there all his life, and urged her forward. The two of them ran circles around the others, and Link was left breathless from the sheer joy of it.

"Hey, you there!" Ingo barked. Link held his head up at attention. "Yes?"

Ingo grinned. "You're pretty good! How about running a race with me? One lap around the corral with that horse." Link raised one golden eyebrow.

"And… is that it?"

Ingo chuckled. "Well, of course not! I'd say a little wager is in order! How does fifty rupees sound?" Link held up a finger to signal for Ingo to wait. He checked his wallet (which he noticed had mysteriously become an adult wallet) and felt that he had enough. Something inside him desperately wanted to pry this horse from Ingo's clutches right away… and maybe this race was the way to do that.

"It's fine with me," he said quickly before any of his companions could answer for him. "Good!" he called. "Now come on over!" Ingo flashed a dark smile toward his friends.

"Your companions can stay in here while we race… hehe…"

Ingo mounted a horse after he locked the gate into the corral, and suddenly Link heard some terribly corny banjo music.

"What…?"

Ingo grinned and held up a small radio. "It helps set the mood. Now," he pressed the play button, "here we go!"

Link beat him easily. Even though the guy was an obvious cheat, his horse was scared of him, and didn't help that Epona was faster. So when they stood face to face after the dismount, Ingo stood there wailing and tugging at his hair like he'd just lost the bet of his life.

"Shoot! If the great Ganondorf found out about this humiliation… hey! Hey you! How about another race? If you win… y-you can keep… the horse!"

Link blinked at him, unfazed. "Sure."

This time around, Ingo seemed to have more of a handle on himself and his horse. Of course, he still cheated and began the race even before it started, but Epona was still faster than Ingo's horse, and Link was perfectly at home in the saddle, hugging the walls of the corral and turning the corners on a dime like an expert horseman. He grinned outright when he heard Ingo curse behind him as the goal came in sight: he was too far behind.

"So… Ingo? The horse is mine, right?" Link said brightly.

Ingo snarled. "Bah! What's up with that horse? Is that _Epona_? How did you tame that wild horse right under my nose?" Anakin scoffed. "Uh, maybe you're just not very good?" Ashei thwacked him upside his head. "Hey, he may be a cheat, but you should be nice to that cheat! In case you hadn't noticed, we're still locked inside the corral!"

She pointed to the lock. "And that lock is made of that same, ah… that stuff! Your lightsabers won't work on that!"

Ingo laughed as he stood on the other side of the little gate that blocked the way back to the barn and the farmhouse. "And that's where you're gonna stay! See, I'm an honorable man, so as promised, I'll still give that horse to you! However… I'll never let you leave this ranch!" He said haughtily.

Link and Epona exchanged glances.

_What? Is this guy stupid?_

_I think so, yes._

They were about to charge the fence and jump over it to knock Ingo out and frisk him for his keys, but apparently someone beat them to it.

THWACK! CLANG!

It was Malon. Freed from her bonds and wielding a pitchfork like a bat, she hit Ingo right upside the head, knocking something from his ear. She beat him again for good measure, just to make sure he was unconscious, then she finally handed Romani the pitchfork and took Ingo's set of keys to let herself back into the ranch and to free Link's friends.

"Hey Malon!" Link called. She returned the sentiment and gave him a sisterly hug. "It's really good to see you, Link." He raised an eyebrow, "No 'fairy boy' comment this time?" She smiled and shook her head.

"No. I think the time for that has passed." Link nodded as she went to go free his friends. Then he spotted the thing that had been flung from Ingo's ear and picked it up. He nearly dropped it in disgust; there was black magic _all_ over it. He threw it at the dirt and torched it with Din's Fire. Ashei came over when she saw the flames saying, "Hey, what did the dirt do to you?"

Link just shook his head. Ashei frowned, but trusted him enough not to ask what had upset him.

Once the four of them were back together again after Malon and Romani had treated them to a meal (Ingo had woken up with no memory of what he'd been doing for the last year or so and was now heading for Kakariko to find Talon and apologize), Romani asked after where they were going.

"The forest," said Link carefully. "There's someone there that I need to find."

Romani saw the wariness and Link's eyes and nodded. It was best that he didn't say anything. "Well," said Malon as they were heading out the door, "don't forget that you're always welcome to stay here or borrow the horses!" She winked at Link. "Epona will miss you!" Link smiled back at her. "I'll come back soon! I promise! Just take care of her for me, won't you?"

"I will!"

And so the four of them, Link, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ashei, were headed off in the direction of the Lost Woods and the long-lost fabled Forest Temple of the great and mysterious Sacred Meadow.

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><p>Ahh… I'm done. Now I can go do homework. Well, this was a special thing, since it was Labor Day weekend and all. Most updates will only happen about every two or three weeks. But I hope you enjoyed this and next chapter we'll have them fighting the very first adult temple! Yay!<p>

Okay, shoo. Go click the little button and write some nice words. Or some not so nice words. Any words would be good. Seriously, PLEASE? XD


	13. Forest Temple: Part 1

Chapter Thirteen: Forest Temple – Part 1

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><p>Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force<p>

Chapter: 13

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: (hastily written sign says: Tuesdays: Virtual Spaghetti Night!)

(little sign beneath it says: And in Article 6, Section 11… I don't own this…)

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

Still waiting for my glaze… oh yeah, you don't know about that. Well, I took a ceramics class last year and made some pretty cool stuff with it. I made a couple pots, a marker holder, a vase, and an Ocarina. I want to glaze it blue just like the Ocarina of Time, but my art teacher still hasn't fired it in the kiln.

And if you can find the review button, make sure to use the hand sanitizer supplied on the desk right next to it: it's a tad dusty. I think there might be some cobwebs on it too… well, I thought I'd be nice and provide you with something to clean your hands with.

Oh well. Anyway, you people go read.

(NOTE: By the time I finished writing this I finally did get my glaze. My vase and Ocarina are now going to be fired on Tuesday, whoo! Yes!)

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><p>Link stopped dead in his tracks when he reached the entrance to the bridge. His face was an assorted puzzle of expressions varying from fear and shock to anger and apprehension. Ashei, who had taken the rear center-guard position after they'd left the ranch, noted that his hands were pressed stiffly to his sides, the fingers of his left hand twitching, eager to grasp the sword…<p>

"Link?" said Ashei quietly, stepping between Obi-Wan and Anakin, "Are you all right?" At the sound of her voice, Link took in a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and his expression fell into a practiced mask of stoicism.

"Yes, I'm fine." He said quietly. Suddenly there was a scream from inside the forest, and his head jerked upward, the mask slipping off to roll at his feet, leaving the warrior in charge. "Someone's in trouble!" He glanced quickly behind him at his companions, each wearing a mix confusion and worry on their faces. "Come on, we've got to go!" He ran off in the direction of the sound and the others followed quickly, their feet thudding across the rope bridge into Kokiri Forest.

Once inside the village, Link quickly spotted the source of the screams.

It was a little girl; a small, blonde female Kokiri, cornered up by two large Wolfos, against the wall of one of the houses.

"Tila!" Another Kokiri called down from the top of the house, "Run, Tila!"

The blond Kokiri girl could only whimper and press her body further up against the wall. "Tila!" Link whispered under his breath, "No!" He quickly ran up to one of the Wolfos and caught both of their attentions, drawing them away so the girl could run off. The poor thing however, had fainted, and was now lying in a crumpled heap on the grass. Link turned his attention to Anakin, who had somehow become his partner in this fight, and jerked his head in one direction, signaling him to get behind the creature.

Anakin frowned, and Link snarled at him, "Don't be a hero, Anakin! Your weapon will get to its weak point faster!" Anakin almost reacted to Link's animalistic battle nature, but something in the Force held him back. So he forced himself to run around the creature and dig through its thick fur with his lightsaber, while Link kept it busy at the front, until he could get through to the spine and slice through it like butter.

Once that was done, the furry beast dropped to the ground in a pile of stinking hair and bright yellow blood, simmering for a few moments before igniting into blue fire that turned it's flesh and bones to dust. The other Wolfos ended up with a similar fate at the hands of Obi-Wan and Ashei.

Ashei scowled. "Dammit! Now I'm going to be smelling of sulfur for days!"

Link stuck the Master Sword briefly into the dirt so he could lean on it and he glanced up at her. "It could be worse, you know. It can always be worse." Then he frowned. "And I would appreciate it if you wouldn't swear inside the village… these are _Kokiri_ after all." Ashei had the grace to blush furiously, the bright flush of her cheeks creating a somewhat adorable image that made something in Link's chest clench briefly.

"Ah… I'm sorry. I didn't realize…" Link waved her apology away with his right hand as he sheathed the Master Sword. He turned around to where the Kokiri girl had crumpled to the dirt and was surprised to see someone helping her up, since she had recovered from fainting. She noticed him looking at her and she smiled a little.

"Thank you, mister," she said in a high-pitched chime, "for saving my life… I thought I was done for." Link knelt by Tila and her helper and offered a smile in return. "That's all right. You won't be done for today."

"That's a good thing," said her helper, "because those monsters are getting more and more vicious."

Link's ears twitched, and he stared at the Kokiri, his eyes widening as he recognized the speaker. It was Fado, his dark blond hair dirty and dusted with a fair amount of dried yellow and blue blood from the monsters he'd surely been fighting. The spear he was carrying had some residue as well where the blood was so finely caked that it couldn't be cleaned.

"It's a good thing that you got here when you did, too…" Fado muttered, and then sighed. "Here, Tila. Let's get you inside…" Tila frowned. "But, Fado… what about Makar? Do you know when he's coming back?" Fado frowned, and Link's heart dropped at the realization that while the Kokiri hadn't physically aged, he was certainly older than he seemed after these seven years. Fado shook his head. "No, I don't. But Makar _will_ come back."

Fado gently pushed her into the opened door, which Link noticed had a lock bolted to the inside that hadn't been there before. "Now get inside Tila. And make sure you have some Deku Nuts when you go outside." Tila shot Fado one sorrowful glance as the door close, and once the lock bolted into place, Fado finally sighed and turned back to Link.

"_Please_ tell me you know what happened to Makar, Link…"

Link stood up, surprised. "You… you know?" Fado's haunted gaze tilted upwards to look at him, reminding Link again of the strangeness of his new body. "Of course." He smiled bitterly. "I can sense Navi's presence near you… only you would be accompanied by that particular fairy…."

His gaze dropped, and he shook his head. "But Makar… he left for the temple in the Sacred Forest Meadow three days ago and hasn't been back since…"

"I fear something terrible has happened to him."

Link was quiet. He mulled over his thoughts, but they were shielded from him, like the way one would hold a warm egg with gloves, a fine fuzzy film separating his thoughts and his processes. "I'm afraid I don't know exactly what's happened to Makar," he said quietly, "but I'm going to find out."

Fado nodded. "I'm coming with you. If you're headed to the Temple, you'll have to make it through the Lost Woods." He looked Link over and his expression settled into something between skepticism and appraisal.

"You'll need a guide."

Link scowled at Fado, who cracked a conspiratorial smile. The smile was quite at home on Fado's features, making him look like the Fado that Link remembered leaving when he'd gone out on his quest to find the Princess. This Fado knew that Link was still quite aware of and familiar with the strange ways of the Lost Woods, but simply wanted to have a little fun. However, Link couldn't help but glimpse the strange, protective leer that shadowed the darkness of his irises. It disturbed him somewhat.

"Fine," Link muttered, "you can show us the way…"

The group, led by Fado, went beyond Fado's house and began scaling the cliffside towards the path to the woods. Once inside the woods, Link doubled back, allowing Ashei to take point so he could apologize to Anakin for his breach in civility during the battle.

"I'm terribly sorry I snapped at you like that," Link said quietly, "it just sort of… happened." Anakin frowned, feeling a push in the Force, and let the words come to him. "It was my fault. I was being selfish and wanted all the battle's glory for myself, so I hesitated. You were right to have corrected me the way you did." He paused, then added, "Well, sort of." Link chuckled softly and shook his head. "I'm just not used to working with other people in a fight. It's always just been me." Anakin shrugged. "You'll get used to it pretty quickly. Trust me."

Link nodded, turning back to the path as they shifted spots so Link was back at point and Anakin was at rear-center, with Ashei on his right and Obi-Wan on his left. Link stopped first when he left the change in atmosphere, Fado following suit, and Ashei and the two Jedi after that.

Obi-Wan could almost swear he tasted dust in the air, like something old was awakening at their very presence. He wasn't a man you often surprised, so when he could hear gears shifting and grinding in a place that surely should not have had anything to do with even the most modern functions of this planet's technology, his mind went into overdrive. He grabbed Link's shoulder and turned the boy around to look him in the eyes.

"Do you know what that is?" The wheels in Link's mind were turning too, going through everything he remembered Makar telling him about the secrets of the Lost Woods. "I think they might… be…"

"Guardians!" Fado shouted, pointing to the pond at the edge of the clearing. Obi-Wan let go of Link's shoulder to let him turn to see where Fado was pointing. Link visibly stiffened, and he subconsciously reached for his hat, pulling it off his head. "Forest Guardians? Here?" Fado lowered his head, tilting his short Kokiri ears for a sound he could no longer hear.

"They're blocking the sounds of the forest. I cannot listen to them to find our way to the meadow. We must deal with these things first."

The things that were emerging from the pool at the far edge of the clearing were huge, stone automatons carrying large stone spears with the Royal Family's phoenix chiseled on their tips. They were vaguely humanoid in shape, with only two round indents for eyes, which glowed with a soft blue light. They walked slowly, but the markings that flowed along their arms and legs suggested that they could probably move much faster than they were moving now. There were only two, but these were at least twice Link's height, who was the tallest out of all of them, and perhaps more than that.

"_Who dares to walk the path to the sacred ground?"_

Everyone blinked and was silent, not sure how to respond. They hadn't expected the things to be able to _speak_. Finally, Link coughed and cleared his throat, hoping that perhaps the title he'd been saddled with might actually be of some use here.

"The Hero of Time requests permission to enter the Sacred Meadow."

He hadn't intended it, but some of the Master Sword's power latched itself onto his words and flung itself out with each syllable. Link twitched, having stunned himself with the force of his own words. There was magic in those words, not the Force, but it wasn't battle magic. It was… something else.

_"Prove yourself, Hero of Time. No one may walk the path until they have awakened the power of the forest."_

The voices reverberated in much the same way that Link's had; only they singed the edges of his mind with equal force, leaving him slightly dizzy. What could they mean about awakening the power of the forest? He suddenly found himself turning the Ocarina of Time in his hands, his hat somehow having made itself back onto his head. He stared at the instrument.

Why had he taken it out?

'Prove yourself,' they had said. A stray thought ran across his mind, a memory of Makar in the meadow, his eyes deep and meaningful. He'd asked Link to play with him on the Fairy Ocarina…

Link's head shot up. He had an idea, but it seemed like a long shot. Still, he had to try it. Besides, the forest could use a little waking up. There was a deadness to it now that sickened him; it wasn't supposed to be this way. With an angry, almost furious movement, Link pressed the instrument to his lips and began to play. The notes were quiet at first, despite the energy in them, but they quickly began to snake out and stir up the slow-moving sap of the forest's lifeblood.

Ashei was rooted to the spot when everyone else stepped back as Link began to pry the sweet notes from the Ocarina. It was so… beautiful, his music. It was rapture, and happiness, anger, gentility, and courage. Fado watched the young woman's face with a secret smile; she could feel the power of the music, too. There were not many others who could.

Finally, Link's fingers slowed and began to finish playing, but the forest was still stirring around them, filled with so much power that it made them _all_ shiver beneath the weight of it.

"_You may pass… but only the Chosen may enter…"_ said the Guardians.

Then they released their spears and marched back to the pond, descending back into the waters wherever they had come from. Fado frowned. He knew what the Guardians had meant, even if the others didn't. They were the ones chosen to enter the Temple, not him. It was probably for the best that he went back to look after the others anyway.

"I think," he said softly, "that it would be best if I went back. You can find the way there, I trust?"

Link, still clutching the Ocarina in his hands, nodded with a soft, noncommittal grunt, as though just coming out of a dream. Feeling he might need the instrument again, he simply stuffed it into one of his belt pockets, which seemed to have the same bottomless properties that his Kokiri hat did. Fado turned to them and formally bowed to each of them, finally heading back the way they'd come towards the Kokiri Village.

That left Link to take the lead, since he was the only one who knew the way.

"Are you sure you know how to get there?" Anakin asked skeptically. Link sighed softly, so only Ashei would be able to hear. Though a gentle melancholy gripped his expression, his voice was clear when he spoke.

"Of course I do. I grew up here, remember? I know this place, and it knows me." Ashei frowned, knowing there was more he wanted to say, but was keeping a good deal of it to himself. She wondered if it had anything to do with memories that had occurred seven years ago just before he was thrust into the future with an unfamiliar body and mind… she walked closer to him, putting a soft hand on his shoulder.

The unfamiliar pressure made Link's hair stand on end, but he quickly realized who it was, and the meaning of the gesture. He smiled softly, nodding an appreciative thanks before letting her fall back into position.

They walked the rest of the way in silence.

Finally they came to a clearing with pieces of a large, rusted metal gate strewn across it, and the sounds of deep, soft breathing on the other side of the entrance where the gate used to rest. Anakin whistled. "What happened here?" Obi-Wan knelt and examined the pieces of shredded metal. "Looks like it was smashed with a club of some sort, or claws. Very blunt ones."

Link frowned at the carnage, too. "Last time I was here the passageways were guarded by Deku Scrubs… I don't think that will be the case today, so we should proceed with caution."

"There are passageways?" Ashei asked quietly. Link nodded. "It's a garden maze. There used to be traps built into it that would attack anyone who didn't belong… but we shouldn't have to worry about those." Ashei groaned. "A garden maze. Great. I hate mazes…" Link flashed a grin. "I've been through it once before." Then his grin fell and hardened into a warrior's mask. "But again, I doubt it will be as easy as the last time."

It turned out that the heavy breathing sounds were coming from huge Moblins like the one they had encountered in the forests outside of Kakariko. Not only were these Moblins just as huge and just as vicious, these Moblins were covered in stronger, thicker armor, and carried more sophisticated spears. Most of them they were able to sneak past through some carefully woven illusions and general sneakiness, but when the group ascended the staircase at the end of the garden maze, they came face to face with a long passage that was guarded by the largest Moblin they'd ever encountered.

It had pretty much the same build as the others, with huge, rippling, lightly furry muscles and a pig-like face with a dog's ears and jowls. The armor it wore was slightly different, too. Spiked pads rested on its thick shoulders, wide leather gloves and boots lined with durasteel enforcements covered its hands and feet, and finally, a heavy metal skirt clung to its waist and thighs. It held a long, brutal-looking Cortosis club, decorated with dull spikes.

And there was no way around it.

The creature made a garbled guttural sound once it saw them, throwing its head back with a strange barking laugh.

"Fools!" It roared, and sent its club deep into the soil, sending shockwaves running across the grass to slice at their boots.

Obi-Wan called up a Force-shield to diffuse the energy, and so it dissipated before it reached them, but the shockwaves just kept coming. Before long, Ashei was having to help Obi-Wan with the shield to keep it running so they could get close enough for Link to use the Hookshot to stun it so Anakin could injure it or kill it somehow.

"Still not close enough!" Link shouted, gritting his teeth and looking away as dirt of the last shockwave flew into his face, "Closer!" Ashei whimpered. "I don't how much longer I can hold…!" Link could see blood dripping from her nose, evidence of her overuse of power and restraint. Obi-Wan seemed like he was holding up, though a few of the more prominent veins in his neck looked about ready to burst. Link growled, and twisted back around. "Let the shield down," he called, pulling out the Hookshot, "I have an idea!" Ashei and Obi-Wan looked at him like he was crazy.

"What," Anakin asked him incredulously, "are you insane?"

Link shook his head. "I don't know! Probably! Just trust me on this one!"

He looked pointedly at Ashei and locked eyes with her. "Please," he said quietly. Another shockwave of power strained her limits again, and the steady drip of blood from her nose began to thicken into a stream. She knew instantly, somehow, that whatever he had in mind was going to work. She nodded to Obi-Wan, and they let down the shield together after a final attack, and she collapsed from exhaustion into Obi-Wan's waiting arms.

Link launched himself into the air, using the walls of the passage to keep himself aloft. The Moblin, startled by this new development, stood back in alarm as it tried to access the situation, but to no avail. Link had been counting on taking the creature by surprise, and given their former strategy, there was no way it could have anticipated his next movements. He bounded off the right side of the passage and _over_ the Moblin's head, turning around with lightning speed and shooting the creature directly in the back of its head with the Hookshot.

"Now, Anakin!"

Anakin didn't hesitate. He cut through the same spot Link had cut through the last Moblin they'd battled, and when stun finally wore off, the thing spilt in half with a mournful, defeated cry.

"Master," it gurgled, "forgive me…"

Then it burst into icy white fire and burned down to dust. Ashei, once recovered, almost felt sorry for the creature. "I didn't know they could speak," she said softly, almost in awe at the concept. "I didn't either," Link muttered. They left the matter untouched, though; it seemed better that way.

The four ran up the remaining steps, eventually slowing to a slow walk once they entered the grove.

It was as Link remembered it, with the strange platform that bore the temple's seal, and reminded him of the one in the Temple of Time. The temple itself, the stairs that once led up it now crumbled into a heap along the grassy forest floor, a large tree with a single branch twisting over the remaining steps left intact that would give one access to the temple, and finally… the stump. Link stopped in front of it, staring at it. Ashei could sense that this place meant something very much to Link, and she caught the edges of a whispered lament that she wasn't sure he even meant to say.

"Makar… he… we… this was where he taught me that song…"

"The one from earlier?" Link jumped at Ashei's words, and turned around. He blinked, but finally his mind was able press back the flood of memories and regain proper control of himself.

"Yes," Link whispered, "he called it _Saria's Song_. He also told me that it contained the power to wake the sleeping, and if played right, the power to send the restless into a dreamless sleep." He shuddered at the memory of the forest's power bearing down on him, even though he'd gotten the sense that the forest had been grateful for his services. "Though, I do not…!" Link's voice caught in his throat as his ears twitched at the sound of a twig snapping, and Ashei heard it too, her hands flying to the hilt of her sword.

Link walked back to the pedestal where Anakin and Obi-Wan stood, and looked around. It was the slightest _whoosh_ of air that alerted him to the Shiekah's presence. He whirled around to face the direction of the temple's entrance to see the young Sheikah emerge from edge of the shadows as though simply stepping out of them from another realm. Link's eyes narrowed, his growing magical senses unable to get a lock on the mysterious Shadow Warrior.

His reaction made the Sheikah chuckle, and if Link looked hard enough, h could just make out the edges of a wry smile through the fabric of Sheik's tattered cowl.

"You made it, I see. That is good… it would not do to have the fate of the universe rest on the shoulders of someone without such skills." Link scowled softly, Ashei raising an eyebrow in his direction. "What is it you want to say, Sheik? We don't have a lot of time…"

"Ah," murmured Sheik quietly, "time. The flow of time is quite cruel isn't it? Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it…"

A single blond eyebrow lifted as the ruby orb gazing slyly from beneath it sparkled brightly. "But there things that don't change with time… memories of younger days…" Again, the single red eye visible beneath the bright shock of blond shifted its gaze. While Sheik did not turn to look at the stump off to his left, Link's gaze followed Sheik's and he almost missed the rest of Sheik's words for all the memories that clouded his mind.

"When you are finished slaying the evil within this place, you may wish to return. I can give you a way back that does not require the sacrifice of your precious time. Do you have an instrument?"

Link blinked back to reality at the question and eventually fumbled through his belt pockets for the Ocarina. He looked up, noticing for the first time the harp in Sheik's slender hands. They were wrapped carefully with bandages, and Link wondered, not for the first time, whether they hid scars, or were simply part of the traditional clothing.

"This is my instrument," Link said quietly. Sheik nodded. "Good. I'll lead, and then you follow. Simple enough?" Link tilted his head in answer, and lifted the instrument to his lips. Sheik positioned the harp on his hip and began picking out a few notes, which Link repeated once, then twice as Sheik strummed a gentle harmony from its golden strings. The air seemed to lighten a bit with the performance, lulling the riled forest into a gentle wakefulness.

When it was over, Link could see the faint outline of a bitter smile against the fabric of Sheik's cowl. "You're leaving again, aren't you?"

Sheik bowed slightly to him. "I have other commitments, I'm afraid. But do not lose heart," Sheik chuckled, "you will see me again. Do not forget that song; the _Minuet of Forest_ is an old composition and so it has great power. Use it well, my friend." With that, Sheik stepped backwards into the shadows, once again merging with them as if he were simply an extension of their inky black existence.

All was quiet for some moments as Link turned the Ocarina in his hands, until at last Ashei broke the silence by gently clearing her throat.

"So that was… Sheik? The one you asked about this morning with Impa?"

Link nodded slowly, blinking as if waking from a dream. He'd obviously been very deep in his thoughts. "Yes, that was him. He was the one who told me to head for the graveyard in the first place." Obi-Wan hummed softly. "I wonder how he knew that, exactly. It's entirely possible it was all a Force vision, but those are rare even among the most Force-tuned Jedi." Anakin was simply silent, until he looked up at the entrance to the temple.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get into the Temple and kick some monster ass!" Ashei rolled her eyes at Anakin. "Seriously? Now look, if I can't swear, you can't. So don't do it." Anakin rolled his eyes right back and Obi-Wan simply sighed, chancing a glance at Link, who shrugged and began cleaning off the metal of the Hookshot, which was still encrusted with blood.

Finally he stepped forward, angled it towards the tree hanging above the broken steps, and fired it so the metal point lodged in the tree and pulled him forward, the yell he'd been prepared to let loose stolen from him as the breath was torn from his lungs and left him breathless, lying flat on his back on the cobblestones leading inside the temple. Someone down below whistled loudly, and Link groaned, sitting up slowly.

"Are you all right?" Ashei's voice called out to him.

"Yeah," he called back, "just peachy…" The last bit was said quietly, to which Navi fluttered from underneath his hat and quietly replied with, "Well, it could have been worse." Link simply shot her a look before standing up as Ashei gracefully landed on the patch of grass in front of him, making him stumble backwards. Ashei winced, flushing with embarrassment. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." She looked back once and then stepped forward, pulling Link out of the way so that Anakin and Obi-Wan could jump up the entrance as well.

Link was amazed at the smoothness and grace of their skill, that he just had to ask if they could teach it to him.

"I could teach you," Ashei offered before either of the other two could, "it's not hard. In fact, it probably requires less effort than picking a lock!" She laughed, and Link smiled at her. "I suppose it does." Then he stood up straighter and moved to take point and lead them in. "All right, let's go."

The inside of the Forest Temple was very dark, though not so dark they couldn't see. Most of the room's features (including a pair of Wolfos that sprung up to attack them as soon as they'd entered) were quite visible indeed, just simply immersed in a fine film of shadow. Anakin frowned, sensing something dark from somewhere deep inside. It's power pressed at his weaknesses, and he looked up at Obi-Wan, suddenly and strangely afraid.

Obi-Wan fed him strength through their bond as Master and Padawan, acknowledging the dark presence in the temple and Anakin's troubles without really saying anything.

"There is… something sinister here," Ashei whispered. "Something dark."

Link frowned. "It tastes foul… what is it?" Obi-Wan frowned. "The dark side of the Force. It is quite present here." And something else was present too, though it was a blacker power than even the dark side. He wisely decided to avoid mentioning its existence. "I would suggest you try not to listen to what it whispers to you. It could very well be the last you ever listen to if you do."

Ashei nodded, and looked upward towards the ceiling. It was only to stretch the muscles in her neck, but something silvery caught her eye. She squinted, staring up into the darkness. There was something on the ledge…

"Hey, look! It's a treasure chest!" She pointed to the brown box on a long sprawling tree branch halfway up the wall.

Link followed her gaze. "Hmm. So it is. I suppose we should probably see what's in it, in case we need it later." Obi-Wan nodded. "But be careful. It could be a trap." Anakin chuckled. "You think everything is a trap, Master." Obi-Wan scowled. "I do not!" Anakin smiled. "Do too." Obi-Wan was adamant, and folded his arms while once again refuting the accusation.

Ashei rolled her eyes.

Meanwhile, Link made his way up the vines snaking all over the walls of the rooms. After using the Hookshot to bring himself to the chest, he kicked it open to see what was inside. It was a small, silver key, imprinted with the same image he'd seen on the pedestal in the Meadow. He pocketed the key and jumped back down, effectively ending the minor argument between Master and Padawan as he startled them upon his landing.

"Oh, thank Din," Ashei lamented, exasperated, "I thought I was going to have to listen to that forever." Link cracked a smile, but sobered again as he remembered where they were.

"So, what did you find?" Obi-Wan asked Link. He showed them the key he'd found and pocketed it again. "It has the same symbol as the one on the pedestal outside, so I'm assuming it goes to a locked door somewhere inside this place. I think it would be wise to keep any keys we encounter, since they might be required to proceed further into the Temple." They all nodded in agreement and pressed forward through the wooden door bolted to the stone frame opposite the entrance.

"Ahhh!" Navi squealed (loudly, one had to add), and buried herself in Link's right shoulder. "Kill it!" Ashei glanced at Navi with a withering look.

"Seriously?"

Link shrugged, which was an accomplishment in itself because Navi was still clinging onto his tunic for dear life.

"She has a… thing for spiders. Although I do have to admit that the larger ones kind of disturb me, too." He stared at the corpse of the Big Skulltula, the Master Sword held loosely in his left hand and dripping purple Skulltula blood on the cut stones that lined the amply florally occupied hallway.

"Though… not by much."

Ashei shook her head. "Spiders… really." Obi-Wan was as carefully composed as ever, though Anakin was having a little trouble. Navi removed her face from Link's tunic as they moved forward, glaring at him.

"Stop that now or I'm putting that damned Cucco beside your pillow when you go to sleep tonight!" Anakin didn't quite take the threat to heart, though, since he was still sniggering. "She's not kidding," Link said coolly. "So? Can't you just kill it?" Link and Ashei shared a look. "Not really, no." Ashei said quietly. "They sort of… know when one of their own is in danger and they… well… they pretty much attack you until your eyes are gouged out. Or something similar."

Anakin was instantly quiet.

The room beyond was obviously the central room of the temple, with a tall, dark ceiling, passageways and staircases going out in every direction, and a decorative elevator in the middle of the room built on a square dais that was surrounded by four different colored torches. However, as soon as the door they'd entered closed behind them, each flame snuffed out in a circular motion to be replaced with strange looking ghost-women that carried each of the flames in their lanterns. Each ghost turned tail and ran in different directions, the elevator descending down into the floor below.

"What just happened?" Anakin asked as soon as the things were gone.

"I think," Ashei said slowly, "that our way to what's causing all this mess has just been taken from us." Link simply stood there and looked wryly in her direction. "Of course. But by what, exactly?" He gestured to the torches.

"Hmm." Ashei frowned. "I'm not sure, but… I think those were the Poe Sisters. They were supposed to be the guardians of this place, if I have my history right." Obi-Wan nodded and folded his arms. "And perhaps they still are, and they simply think we're intruders. The dark energies might be affecting their ability to perceive friend from foe, and so they ran."

Ashei nodded. "Sounds plausible. So… now what?"

Link waved a hand at the passageways before them. "We chose a passageway and see where it gets us." Ashei nodded. "Huh. Okay. Paper, rock, scissors?" Surprisingly, Obi-Wan ended up winning and they ended up heading down the northwest corridor.

"Whaa!"

Splat. Ashei blinked, watching the aftermath of her knee-jerk reaction to entering the new room. As soon as she'd walked through the door, a giant Deku Baba had launched itself towards her, trying to take a bite out of Ashei's legs. Of course, her natural reaction was to strike back, which she did… and now the Deku Baba's giant head was floating in the little river that ran through this section of the Temple, bleeding greenish blood into the pristine little stream.

"Nice one, Ashei." Anakin chuckled. Ashei simply shot him a look and wiped off the smudges on her sword before sheathing it again.

They explored the tiny courtyard, since it didn't have a ceiling and was opened up to the early afternoon sky above them, carefully avoiding the other enemies that lurked all around. There was a patch of land on the other side of the stream with two columns supporting another column, a second level they couldn't reach yet, a well full of water around the left side of the door, and a vine-covered wall off to their right.

The vines led up to a ledge dug into the wall itself, which they decided was their only means of currently progressing. However, the wall was covered with Skulltulas, but Ashei unhitched her bow and made short work of them so her companions could climb up and make it to the ledge.

"That was amazing," Anakin said to her once she climbed up. She simply shrugged. "Practice. That's all it is. That, and maybe some Force-enhanced reflexes, but not much." Anakin whistled. "How long have you been practicing?"

"About ten years." Anakin was quiet again, and this time Obi-Wan laughed.

The enemy that waited for them in the next room actually startled Obi-Wan this time, his lightsaber leeching the thing's energy away, leaving it flopping around on the ground, harmless. Anakin sighed and crushed it to dust with his own lightsaber, the destruction of the glowing skull triggering a summoning that left a large chest sitting in the middle of the tiny room.

Link touched it gingerly, testing for traps, but flipped the latched when he found none and pulled out a map titled 'The Forest Temple' with the same symbol printed on both sides of the title. Ashei tilted her head as they flipped through the pages.

She pointed to the page with the center room on it, frowning.

"Do I even want to know why that's labeled 'Sacrificial Altar'?" Link shot her a look. "I'm pretty sure that you already know." She leaned away, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Ugh. Well, that map _is_ pretty old…"

"Hmm. Right. You keep telling yourself that." "Will do."

When they exited the room and hacked off the smaller Deku Baba that had been growing on the ledge, they looked around from their particular vantage point. "Hey," said Anakin, "weren't we just here?"

Ashei shook her head.

"Nope. It's a different room, it just looks like the other one." She leaned over the railing and pointed across to the well on the other side. "That well over there is free-standing, while the other one was built into the wall." Anakin nodded to show he understood. Link noticed there was a black and white symbol on top of a nearby ledge with a red pressure switch beneath it.

"Hmm. Wonder what that does…" He switched on the Hookshot and fired it before anyone knew what was happening. He pressed the switch and they all turned to see the water in the well begin to recede with a loud draining sound.

"Hey, uh… want to go check that out?"

Ashei stared blankly at him and Link simply held up his hands in a placatory gesture. "Hey, now. I don't have to tell you where I'm going all the time, do I?" Then he laughed and jumped over the railing, rolling down across the grass into a standing position before turning around and waving for them to follow. Ashei sighed and shook her head, but complied, and her other two companions followed. They climbed down into the well and followed its path to the other side, where a chest sat.

Link checked it for traps before opening it, and pocketed the small key it contained. They climbed back out into the first courtyard they'd entered, and exited it through the southeast door back to the main room.

Once back in the main room, Anakin pointed out that the only other door that did not need to be opened by use of a key was the northernmost door. They agreed to head in that direction next, though they were once again surprised by a cackling floating head (which Navi identified as a Blue Bubble – "I don't care _what_ is," Link said to her, "I just care _that_ it is… and that it wants to kill me."), which had been occupying the hallway beyond it.

"What is with all these hallways?" Anakin observed quietly. Obi-Wan shrugged. "Don't look at me. It's not my department." Anakin looked at Ashei, who also shrugged. "What? I'm not an architect."

Anakin was about to look in Link's direction but thought better of it.

The four travelers exited the hallway into a dead-end arena. They made it about four steps into the room before the door behind them shut unexpectedly, bars sliding up through the floor and barring their way back. "Uh oh," Anakin said softly, "What did I do?" Obi-Wan frowned. "I don't think it was anything _you_ did… this time." Anakin glanced towards his master, nonplussed. "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, there."

"Shh, quiet!"

Link hushed them, sensing a concentration of the same darkness that tainted most of the temple. It was gathering, building its strength. Soon, it would reach a critical enough point that something would answer its call… something…

A rumbling metallic laugh echoed through the room, sending chilling waves to roll down Link's spine. He quickly drew the Master Sword, Ashei drawing her short white sword in response. Her expression said that she could sense it too. Link took a few more steps towards the area of concentration, wary of when it might finish its summoning. Ashei sensed it first, flinging out her hand to him to snatch him backwards, yelling, "Link, look out!" before a shadow appeared on the floor and two giant armored skeletons landed on the spot where Link had been standing.

They quickly recovered, taking positions around the creatures.

"How do we kill _these_ things?" Anakin asked after they'd been at it for some time. Navi didn't know. The creatures were called Stalfos, undead warriors that had died restless in their mortal lives. Ashei swore under her breath. "I don't know! They're usually not this resistant!"

She'd fought Stalfos before, and she couldn't understand why these weren't going down.

Link carefully charged his sword, carefully calibrating it to the weakness he sensed in the Stalfos he and Obi-Wan were fighting. "Distract it!" he called over to his partner, who was only too happy to oblige. He twirled his lightsaber, the whirring plasma drawing the attention of the Stalfos away from Link. It was a bit too flashy, since it was usually frowned upon to show off during lightsaber duels, but the diversion served its purpose. Now exposed, Link unleashed the built up power and cut the Stalfos in half, the bloodless bones breaking cleanly as they scattered across the dirt floor.

"Ashei!" Link called out, "They _can_ be killed! Just keep at it!"

Ashei had already seen Link's maneuver out of the corner of her eye and signaled to Anakin to help her do the same. Tired of fighting this thing for so long, he had no trouble obliging her, and their opponent was felled quickly after the first. The scattered bones disintegrated into blue fire as the door they'd entered unlocked, and a chest appeared. Link kicked it open and fished out the key inside, glancing up at his companions.

"Anyone hurt?" They shook their heads. "No, just tired," Ashei said quietly, "I've never fought a Stalfos for that long before. They're usually pretty flimsy things." Link frowned. "It must be Ganondorf's influence making them stronger or something. That's what summoned them here."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Regardless, we should keep moving. I think there was a locked door on the west side of the central chamber. We should head there next." Link and the others nodded, and they made their way back to the door, which Link unlocked using one of the three keys they'd collected so far. They found themselves in yet another hallway, this one decorated with candles and a long red carpet and inhabited by a Big Skulltula sleeping lazily on the ceiling. It twitched to life once they entered the hall, but Anakin slashed it down so they could get past it to the door on the other side.

They entered a small area of a room that was obviously much larger than it seemed. There were ladders everywhere, and huge blocks that had bars welded to them so they could be pushed, as well as arrows painted on the gray stone the room was constructed from that showed them which directions to push the blocks. Ashei took the opportunity to teach Link how to use his connection to the Force to push or pull things away from and to him.

"You do have to be careful, though. If you overexert yourself, the Force will stop helping you completely, and the action will rely more and more on your own power. Then your body starts to rebel against you and you will eventually pass out if your heart doesn't stop beating or anything like that."

"Well," Link deadpanned as he quickly shoved the final block into place, "I should probably take that into consideration. I kind of like living."

Ashei grinned. "Yeah, I suppose you should."

Obi-Wan and Anakin had been helping them out as Ashei was teaching Link how to use the Force. Like Ashei, Obi-Wan observed that the young man also had great talent with the Force, since he was able to pick up the skill the second it was explained to him, even as old as he was. He didn't stop to think about any of the other factors that might be affecting Link's ability to use the Force, but he was sure that if he took a sample of Link's blood, he'd find high levels of midi-chlorians coursing through him. But that wasn't necessary. The boy's talent was obviously evident.

They reached the highest of point of the room where two Blue Bubbles floated around, cackling softly. The group quickly slew the creatures and unlocked the door they'd been guarding; entering the door before any more of the creatures could respawn.

"Holy–!"

Link cut himself off, his mouth refusing to work out a curse because of his strong moral character as much as his lack of words.

Ashei's own mouth just dropped. She couldn't _quite_ believe what she was seeing – could _any_ type of magic she'd ever studied reproduce this? Obi-Wan and Anakin were simply dumbstruck. They'd seen a lot of things over the course of Anakin's training, but… nothing so strange as this.

The hallway was… twisted.

"Ah – um… ah… Ashei?" Link finally managed after a few tries. He gestured to the hallway with both hands, but she shook her head. "I have… no idea. It's not the Force, I assure you." Link stared down the hallway, his head tilting to the side so as to see the hall's exit door the way he _should _be seeing it right now. "Um… well, can we still go down this way?" Ashei turned to look back at the hallway and shrugged.

"Well, let's find out."

And then she proceeded to walk down the twisted hallway.

Anakin frowned, watching as Ashei's body kept walking along the red carpet as if gravity didn't seem to be affecting her. "That… has got to be one of the creepiest things I've ever seen." Obi-Wan nodded in agreement. "I cannot disagree; it is certainly very odd." Link just shook his head and called down to Ashei. "So, anything down there?"

Ashei's sideways form shook her head. "It looks just like normal when you walk down the carpet! Come on! We can't waste any time!"

Bizarrely enough, she was right. As they walked _down_ the twisted hallway, it still looked partly straight wherever they walked on it. They didn't stop to admire the decorating, either, especially when they heard Ashei scream, and came to find her standing over a large purple, gnarled hand with its fingers cut off and oozing bright neon green blood.

"What was that?" Link asked incredulously. Ashei shuddered. "Ceiling master. They try to attack you from the ceiling in some places. You just sort of have to watch your shadow…" She shuddered again. "Come on, let's go before another one comes. Those things seriously creep me out."

So they made their way to the exiting door, using the last of their remaining keys.

The room they entered next was actually on big staircase with paintings tacked to the walls. However, these paintings were empty. There wasn't a single swatch of paint on them. But there was _something_ in them. They could feel every time they turned their backs: watching them. The door at the bottom of the stairs had an unlit torch, similar to the ones in the central chamber, sitting next to it.

It was also free of any chains, and so didn't require a key to open it. Link flipped it open with a touch of his magic, and his companions followed him inside. The second the door closed behind them, another metallic screeching filled the air.

"Really," Ashei groaned, "another one?"

The Stalfos once again dropped down from the ceiling; however, it landed on the huge _gap_ in the middle of the room. Link stared at it, his mouth dropping open in disbelief. "Seriously? Those things can walk on air?" Ashei scowled. "Apparently. Come on; let's go kill it. There's only one."

Well, there _was_ only one.

Once the Stalfos went down the first time, the platform on the ceiling came down, filling the gap, but also bringing with it two more Stalfos. Obi-Wan and Ashei destroyed one, and it's bones skittered across the floor, but did not burst into blue flame as they should have. Ashei cursed herself under her breath; she'd seen this behavior before in other Stalfos.

"Link, hurry up! If you don't kill that one quickly, then they'll both respawn!" Link locked eyes with her and he worked quickly alongside Anakin to defeat their Stalfos before they could respawn.

"Whew!" Link breathed out, now that that's over…"

Suddenly, he stood up straighter as a cool burst of magic summoned a large treasure chest to the middle of the room. Ashei blinked at it. "Hey, this one's different…" She pointed to the markings along the side of it. "That's ancient Hylian. It says… something about…"

"A Fairy's Bow?"

Ashei blinked. Link had opened the chest and pulled out one of most beautifully crafted bows she'd ever seen. Long a slender, the bow was made of dark redwood, its razor sharp bowstring bound tautly by gleaming silver clasps that were decorated with symbols from a language she didn't recognize. The quiver was similarly crafted, made of a darker, rougher wood than the bow, it was bound by several leather straps and painted across its bindings with bright red acrylic.

"Oh… wow. That's… fairy-made."

Link stared at it. "Really? Why is it so special?" Ashei scoffed. "Fairy-made bows are the most sought after bows in the entire universe. Most, if not all of them, are usually spelled so that their arrows never miss. And if they aren't, they work to shape themselves to their owners, not the other way around. You… should consider yourself very lucky to have _found _one."

Ashei helped him attach the bow and quiver beneath his shield's attachments, and Link mulled over the significance of the bow's make while she helped him. When it finally sank in, he was a quiet for a moment.

"We… we should head back. I think that whatever was watching us was inside those paintings somehow. We should check it out."

Ashei looked at him, once eyebrow raised. "You don't want to practice with that bow first?" Link shook his head. "It can't be that much more difficult than a slingshot. And if it is, you said that it would shape itself to me and help me become a better marksman. I'll just have to bank on that, since we don't have a lot of time." Makar might not have a lot of time…

Link's thoughts were still on Makar as they walked back into the door they'd used to enter the Fairy Bow's chamber, so he didn't notice the cold, black fingers snaking around his neck until it was too late…

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><p>Gahh… sheesh, okay. Cliffhanger! XD<p>

So, I decided to spare you a huge jumbo chapter on the Forest Temple because it was taking like forever to get there. And, yeah. Next chapter will be part two to the Forest Temple, and we'll see what happens to Link.

Will he be choked to death? No, of course not. But, there are worse things… (dun, dun, dun… cue dramatic music, lol)

I also apologize for any typos you've come across while reading, I like JUST NOW finished this and uploaded it without proofreading because I have homework I have to go and do... I'll try and go back later to look for any. (You can also point them out for me if you want (like, say, in a review?) Oh, and Writer, you just talk about the story. I'm trying to encourage _them_ to help me out with my review count, not you. :D)


	14. Forest Temple: Part 2

Chapter Fourteen: Forest Temple – Part 2

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><p>Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force<p>

Chapter: 14

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: Ganondorf found the safe where I was keeping the rights to both of the franchises, and… well let's just say I don't have them anymore…

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

Author's Notes-

Sorry it's taken me so long to get this up. It took me forever to start writing this cause of some end-of-the-six-weeks crunch time junk (and some other drama) and I started playing a new Pokemon Black file so I could try my hand at a Nuzlocke (I also got Ocarina of Time for the 3DS for my birthday and started playing that too). But anyway, I'm here now and we can move on with the story.

…

You're still here? Go on, shoo! And don't forget about that review button! I've even provided a feather duster for you to clean it off with. :)

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><p>Link yelped, though the sound was garbled due to the vice grip of the thin black fingers that were wrapped around his neck. Ashei and the two Jedi whipped around, Ashei's eyes widening in recognition as she met the eyes of the thing that held Link's life in its hands.<p>

"Joelle!" Ashei breathed, taking a step closer.

Joelle snarled. The pearly white lips that the snarl belonged to peeled back on the smooth black contours of a delicately shaped female face. The girl was dressed in a simple red dress that cut just above her knees, the fabric complimenting the golden sash sewn into it. Her wild, straw colored hair was bound tightly with a similarly colored sash of gold.

"How dare you disturb the peace here!" Joelle snapped, "You shall be punished for this!" Ashei waved her hands in a gesture meant to placate the Poe Sister. "Please, Joelle, you must see that I am not the one who did this, and neither is he!" She gestured to Link. "So… could you please let him go?"

Joelle's golden eyes flickered across the plains of Ashei's face, and then those of her companions.

"You still harbor a little of the darkness that has defiled this place…"

Ashei smiled sheepishly. "We all have a little darkness inside us. It's only natural, Joelle. Only those so deeply infested with the darkness could do this to the Temple. Please, Joelle."

Joelle frowned, but held her tongue. After some moments, Joelle released her grip on Link's throat, Link falling through her floating form to land against the wall. She moved so that Ashei could help Link stand. "Fine. I'll let you live, but you must do something for me." Obi-Wan nodded.

"Name it. Provided that it isn't anything that involves harming ourselves." Joelle grinned. "While the notion is entertaining, Jedi, my task is of a much more personal nature. My sisters have been affected by the darkness in the temple; it has taken over their minds and they are no longer thinking as they should. Right now, their only desire is to protect the Temple at any costs, no matter that they have already failed to do so. If you defeat them, they should be freed from the darkness and will return the flames of the central chamber to their rightful places."

She snapped her fingers, and the golden torch beside the door burst into bright orange-yellow tongues of flame.

"There is my flame. Now go, before I rethink my decision about letting you live… it seems the darkness is beginning to affect me, too… oh, wait." She tossed Link something small and shiny. "Take that as my apology for strangling you." She grinned. Link caught it and found that it was a small key.

Ashei nodded. "We'll release your sisters." She turned to her companions. "Come on, there's another staircase on the other side of the Stalfos room." The four of them left as Joelle disappeared from their sight.

Once in the other staircase room, they could immediately feel a similar presence watching them from the paintings. As they ascended the stairs, they saw one of the frames occupied by a Poe's image, this one an older female with a longer blue dress and a shawl, her straw colored hair bound by a white frilly hat thing. Like her sister Joelle, this Poe also had golden eyes and white painted lips. However as the four tried to step closer to the painting, the image faded with a cackle.

"What… just happened?" Anakin asked, a little confused. Link whipped around, spotting the image in another painting on the highest level. "Look, up there!" They looked, and Anakin began to ascend the stairs again, but Link stopped him. "Wait a second… I want to try something."

Anakin looked over at Obi-Wan and Ashei, who both shrugged,

Link drew the Fairy Bow and notched an arrow into the slot. It was quite a bit different than his old slingshot, but he felt a magic stir in the bow that circled all the way up his arm and into his core. The magic shivered before settling, and suddenly the bow was familiar to him, and he took the shot after aiming at the Poe's painting. There was a horrible shriek, and Ashei quickly drew her own bow, letting loose an arrow into another painting.

The two archers turned towards the only remaining painting, grinning wickedly. There was a double _twanging_ sound, two simultaneous _thunks_ and another loud screech as the blue Poe Sister flew past them out of her painting, wailing all the way downstairs.

Once they cornered her, both Link and Ashei got in some early shots while Obi-An and Anakin finished her off. They all took a step back as bits of shadow shattered away from the defeated Poe to seek another host.

However, the shadows failed to notice them, and so the moment passed without much incident. Ashei knelt by the blue Poe Sister and frowned. "Are you all right, Beth?" Beth groaned but managed to resume her flight, holding her head in one hand as if in terrible pain. "I will be…" she sighed before managing to look up at the four of them.

"Thank you for releasing me. I'm assuming Joelle asked you to?" Ashei nodded. "Yes. We're on our way to release your other two sisters, but… there's something we need before we go." Beth's fine blond eyebrows rose just a tick. "Oh?" She thought for a moment before nodding. "Right, I see."

She snapped her fingers, and the golden torch next to the door burst into life with curling tendrils of blue fire. "There, my thanks to you. And… here is my gift to you to aid you for the duration of your stay here." She snapped her fingers again and a compass materialized in the air before them, the symbol of the Forest Temple imprinted along circumference.

"Do we really need that?" Anakin asked, glancing at the compass incredulously. Beth grinned, her golden eyes flashing with a predatory look.

"Of course… unless you'd rather I cleaned out your bowels for you?"

Link snatched the compass and dragged Anakin back up the stairs. "Yes, Anakin – we need it!" Obi-Wan sighed and followed them up as Ashei sighed and shot the Poe Sister a despairing glance. "Was that really necessary?"

Beth simply cackled as she allowed herself to disappear from the room.

Ashei turned and followed them up the stairs. They unlocked the door at the top with the key Joelle had given them, only to arrive in a room with large tan platforms that was similar to the one room adjacent to the twisted hallway. However, the hallway connected to this room was straight. "We still can't do anything with this door, though," Anakin pointed out, gesturing to the locked door, "We don't have any more small keys." Link frowned. "There was a silver eye above the door that led to the twisted hallway… perhaps we should backtrack and see if shooting it with an arrow will do anything."

So the four went back through the staircases and the disturbing twisted hallway to arrive back in the room with the two floating bubbles. Obi-Wan and Anakin quickly dispatched them so that Link could get a good angle on the silver eye. The arrow he'd notched flew from his fingers to hit the eye with a soft twang, though nothing visible seemed to change.

"Hey, what gives?" Anakin muttered. Ashei frowned, exchanging a look with Link. "Did you feel that?" Link nodded, his golden eyebrows pinched close together. "It was very subtle… didn't you feel it, Obi-Wan?" Obi-Wan paused, and then nodded slowly. "I wasn't sure, but… I think so. It would explain why you couldn't sense it, Anakin. Don't feel bad."

He flashed Anakin a quick smile for encouragement, and Anakin nodded back reluctantly.

"Let's check out the hallway again," Ashei suggested, "I think that's where the source was coming from." They nodded in agreement and entered the door again. What they saw stunned them again; forcing them to rub their eyes to make sure they were seeing things correctly.

"Um, please tell me that this hallway was twisted before I shot that eye?" Link said hesitantly. Ashei nodded, folding her arms and biting her bottom lip as she thought. "It was twisted alright, Link. Shooting that eye must have triggered some sort of magic that untwisted this hallway… or something." Obi-Wan nodded, stroking his beard. "So… if this hallway was untwisted when you shot that eye… what happened to the other hallway?"

Anakin laughed darkly. "I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count."

"Either way," Ashei muttered, "the door won't be in the right place to test that hypothesis. Let's just see if there's something else we can do in that room." They all agreed and climbed down the to bottom where a gilded yellow and blue chest was waiting for them beside a hole smack in the middle of the room. Two blue bubbles floated at the bottom.

Link opened the gilded chest to find a golden key much larger than the silver keys, and containing a transparent red gem.

"It's not a ruby," Obi-Wan said as he examined the key, "but it is quite the remarkable likeness." Ashei not-to-gently shoved him towards the hole in the floor. "Um, we should get moving? There are still ceiling masters in this room, you know." That got everyone jumping down the hole real quick, where they dispatched the blue bubbles and exited the room.

"So, Ashei? This key here is important?"

Ashei nodded as Link pocketed the golden key. "It's called the Boss Key. It'll get us into the very heart of the Forest Temple where the darkness is infecting the core of this place's power." Link nodded, once again distracted as he surveyed their surroundings (they were back in one of the courtyards, but Link wasn't sure which one). He was, however, brought back to the present when a very loud, foreign-sounding curse ripped the air in a familiar tone. It was of course Anakin, who had been surprised to see a giant Deku Baba appear around the corner of the balcony walls.

Ashei grinned as she put an arm on Anakin's shoulder and leaned against him. Anakin glared at her.

"So, Anakin… that was very… ah, smooth?" She pushed off of his shoulder with a laugh and pressed onward. Anakin looked back at Link and Obi-Wan for help. Link shook his head, trying not to laugh as well, and Obi-Wan simply shot him one of _those_ looks. Anakin sighed and was just grateful that his lightsaber wasn't a metal blade that had to be cleaned; otherwise it would be in much need of a good cleaning right about now.

Link turned around to the right and opened the nearest door. However, upon seeing what it contained, he promptly shut it quickly. Ashei frowned, slightly miffed. "What did you see?" Link glanced down at her skeptically. "You really don't want to know."

He was still standing in front of the door, a hand on the doorknob. She shook a finger at him, scolding him, and she gently (but quickly) shoved him aside and entered the room.

She of course proceeded to blast the surprised-looking floor master (though how a floor master could appear to be surprised was beyond Link's comprehension) into tiny little pieces of fried purple goo. Ashei shot him a look, to which Link answered with one of his own. "I did warn you, you know." She sighed, shaking her head. "I know. Just thought you might be playing with me or something."

Link shook his head. "Not in here. This place is dangerous. I wouldn't do that to you." Obi-Wan nodded in agreement as Ashei handed Link the small key that floor master had left behind. "This is not the place to be playing tricks on anyone… especially in a place that already happens to be infested with ghosts." Anakin grinned. "I thought you were over that already, Master."

Obi-Wan shot Anakin a look. "Padawan, if you start that one more time…"

"Boys!" Ashei barked, "Come on!" Anakin and Obi-Wan were quickly startled out of their would-be argument and proceeded to follow the two of them through a door that led them back to the lower level of the ladder room.

"All right," Ashei said sharply, "now that we have a key, we can go back to that straight hallway we found before and unlock the door at the end of it to proceed." Link chuckled as he began climbing another ladder. "Well, we have to untwist it first."

"Oh, right. You want me to do it or should I?"

"Doesn't matter, really."

"Okay. Guess I'll do it then."

So when the four arrived back at the top, Obi-Wan and Anakin dispatched the respawned blue bubbles while Ashei shot the silver eye over the doorway. The subtle magic shifted again as the eye reopened, this time even Anakin could sense it just a little.

"Your senses are expanding," Obi-Wan encouraged him, "that's a good thing." Anakin beamed, and Link shared a secret smile with himself. Perhaps his advice might have done some good to Obi-Wan after all.

They walked back through the twisted hallway ("This is still disturbing, by the way…" "I know, don't remind me."), ran through the room with the ceiling masters, trudged back up and down more stairs, until finally, they returned to the straight hallway and unlocked the door at the end of it.

"Can we…" – pant, pant – "stop walking now?" Anakin muttered breathlessly, "We've run up and down those stairs twice in half an hour!"

"A quarter hour, actually," Link corrected as he checked his gauntlet's watch insert. He looked back up at Obi-Wan. "Perhaps a rest might not be a bad idea. Just ten or fifteen more minutes shouldn't hurt. It might actually be beneficial to rest."

Obi-Wan nodded, proceeding to lean against the wall and slide down to the floor. "A rest would be must appreciated. Though I don't want to stay in this room any longer than necessary." Ashei frowned as she surveyed the pit of pinkish purple liquid in the center of the room with four spinning platforms rotating around another pillar with a torch.

"Likewise, Obi-Wan." She sat down at the edge of their perch, her eyes combing the floor for monsters. Once rested, Link jumped onto one of the platforms and waited until he was in the proper position to shoot the ice covered eye with a flaming arrow. The ice melted and the eye clicked shut, another subtle shift whirring across their senses.

"Let me guess," said Anakin as Link jumped back to their platform, "that hallway behind us just twisted again." Everyone nodded, and Anakin just shook his head. "This place is just… weird."

"Huh," Link murmured, "tell me about it."

Anakin was about to ask him what he meant about that, but Link had already gone back through the door before he could form the words.

"Did we go through that door already?"

Ashei was pointing up to the door on the left side of the room from where they'd exited the second twisted hallway. Link frowned and checked the map. "Yeah. See look, the places we've already been glow blue. So we need to go down there." He nodded his head towards a hole in the floor. Ashei sighed. "More jumping down holes. Joy."

They proceeded to follow her down to a room with a long black and white checkered floor.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Anakin asked Ashei smugly as he walked across the floor, "And you were complaining about jumping down a hole." Ashei scowled at him, but Link wasn't paying attention to the exchange. He'd looked up after they'd landed, and he noticed that there were… _holes_ in the ceiling. Then he realized that ceiling was moving… really fast.

"Anakin!" Link quickly grabbed the scruff of Anakin's robes and pulled him backwards out of the way out of the falling ceiling. Once on the ground, Link could see exactly where the holes were and why they were cut out.

"Thanks," Anakin said breathlessly, staring wide-eyed at the fallen ceiling. "You should try looking at your surroundings every once in a while." Obi-Wan nodded. "He's right, you know. You could have been killed." Anakin raised a single eyebrow in his direction. "Or just seriously injured. It doesn't always have to end up with me dying."

Ashei sighed. "Can we get back to the matter at hand here? Those holes in the ceiling are safe spots where we can rest in between the rise and fall cycles of the ceiling." By this point the ceiling had rose back up and fallen again the same way it had before. "But there are also some squares with enemies, so we should only head for the squares that have items or don't have enemies." Link nodded. "There's a chest way down at the end somewhere. It probably has another key."

"Let's not waste any time then," said Obi-Wan as the ceiling rose again.

The first square they were able to safely wait in had a switch that when stepped on, released the bars from the door at the end of the room. The other square further down (the one with the chest) regrettably did not hold a small key, but a bundle of arrows. Ashei loaded them into her quiver and gave the remainder to Link as they ran through the door and into the next room.

"Hey, what are those blocks doing on the ceiling?" Anakin muttered to himself.

"Better question: why do they have pictures on them?" Ashei pointed out.

Anakin returned her glare from earlier while Link pointed out the picture on the left side of the room. There was only one painting in this room, with an ebony colored Poe Sister painted on it. She shared the same white lips and golden eyes as her two other sisters, her straw colored hair much shorter than the other two, though still tightly bound in a small red ribbon. She worse a short green dress decorated with red and yellow sash around her neckline and waist, and also along her sleeves' hems.

Link took the opportunity to shoot the painting, and suddenly the blocks fell down from the ceiling onto the floor, searing pain lancing through each of their dominant hands. Obi-Wan looked at his first, and he paled slightly. Bright red numbers blinked up at him, counting down from the minute.

"We're on a timer! We have to put this puzzle together before the minute is up!" Ashei nodded. "We have to do this quickly then! I'll push this blue block out of the way since we don't need it; you three push the other green ones together to form the picture!" They all got to work, and they managed to put the picture together with only five seconds to spare.

Once the puzzle was complete their timers disappeared and Amy the Poe Sister appeared in their place. Ashei and Link worked quickly with their respective bows to defeat Amy and clear her mind of the temple's darkness.

Freed from the shadows, she sighed and shook her head. "Oh dear, I hope I haven't caused anyone harm?" Ashei shook her head. "No, I don't think so. We've still got to save one more sister from the temple's darkness though, so we're not done yet." Amy pulled her face from her hands, her golden eyes glinting ever so slightly. "Meg? Oh, you'll need to be careful with her."

"And why is that?" Obi-Wan asked her carefully. Amy folded her arms.

"Meg likes to play tricks on people, even us sometimes. I don't know what she'll be doing now that she's under the influence of the darkness in the Temple. But she does have a favorite trick; she likes to produce multiple versions of herself to confuse people. So watch out for that, though you can usually tell which one is the real Meg."

"Thank you for letting us know, Amy," Link said politely. "Now would you be so kind as to return your flame to the torch in the central chamber?"

"Oh! Yes, of course!" She snapped her fingers and green tongues of fire burst into life on the torch by the door. "Please be careful, I'd hate to see anyone with such a tasty soul be hurt by my sister!" Then she disappeared, leaving the four of them to wonder what she meant by that.

They exited the room and the adjacent hallway, placing them back the central chamber on a higher ledge overlooking the three relit torches.

"Hey look!" Anakin pointed out as they looked over the railing, "There's the last ghost!"

"They're Poes, actually," Ashei murmured, and then frowned. "She looks like she's in pain…"

The Poe in question was kneeling down on top of the lowered elevator, holding her head in her hands and shaking it back and forth. She was dressed in a long purple dress with poofy sleeves and she also wore a large purple cloth headdress decorated with rubies that bound her hair inside. While it was not entirely visible, one could see the straw colored locks, and her skin and eyes were similar to her sisters'. Black shadows swarmed around her, bubbling up from the stone floor.

The four of them slowly climbed down to the main floor, Link approaching the last Poe Sister with anxious steps.

"Ah, excuse me? Ma'am?"

Meg looked up, her eyes wide. Then she spotted Link, and she snarled, floating up in the air.

"You! You did this to me! You did this to the Temple! You shall pay!"

She let loose a wild, banshee screech and then disappeared momentarily before multiple versions of herself reappeared around the group in a circle and began to spin.

"Ah… Ashei? How do we tell which of them is the real one again?" Link asked her quietly. Ashei thought back to what Amy had said. "She's supposed to behave differently than the others… oh!" One of the Poes spun in a little circle, and Ashei pointed her out to Obi-Wan, who was closest.

"Get that one!"

Obi-Wan complied, and she disappeared again before repeating the same trick three times. This time Anakin got in the last strike, as finally the darkness visibly separated from the Poe Sister and sunk through the floor. Meg lay on the ground, groaning in pain. Finally, she sat up, and eventually stood up once she realized she was not alone.

"What… who are you? And what are you doing in this Temple? You're not authorized to be here! Except… except you." She pointed to Link. "You belong to the forest, so you can enter here… but the rest of you?" She shook her head fervently. Link inclined his head to her. "They are my companions, and they helped me free you of the darkness that held your mind prisoner."

Meg's aristocratic features flickered in surprise for a moment, but relaxed with gratitude. "Ah, I see. I had been trying to fight it for some time now, but I had been unable to rid myself of it… I suppose I should thank you." She inclined her own head back to them. Then she noticed that one of the torches was unlit, and she gasped.

"Did I take my flame from my torch?"

Link nodded, smiling sheepishly. "I'm afraid so. Your sister Joelle thinks you did it to protect the temple… or you were trying to." Meg frowned. "I probably was. There's still that darkness to deal with… here, I'll give back my flame. You go down there are drive that vile power out of this place!"

She snapped her fingers and finally the last torch began to blaze with purple flames. The elevator rose back up, and Meg nodded to them. "I shall go and deal with my sisters; you go deal with the evil that has defiled our Temple."

With that, she disappeared from the room.

"You know, I never thought they would have been the guardians of this place," Obi-Wan said as they entered the elevator, "Has it always been this way?" Ashei shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. Perhaps they were once people that were alive that looked after the Temple and even after death they kept looking after it. Who knows? The origins of Poes aren't quite so clear cut." Obi-Wan nodded.

The elevator took them down to a cylindrical room with a movable wall and a patterned floor.

"The final door is down there," Ashei pointed out, "but since the way is blocked, we'll need to find the switch that unlocks those bars by pushing that wall all the way around." "Why all the way?" Anakin asked. "Because the switch we need might also be blocked by more bars that require another switch. So let's start by moving the wall to the left."

Link and Anakin took turns pushing the wall while Obi-Wan and Ashei looked for switches. Eventually, after much pushing and searching, they came back all the way around and the bars that had prevented their progress were now gone.

"Let's go kill this thing!" Anakin shouted enthusiastically.

"Shh, not so loud," Ashei drawled sarcastically, "it might know we're here to kill it." Link chuckled darkly as he unlocked the door and let them through. "I think it probably knew we were here to kill it a long time ago."

They climbed the stairs into another round room with similar paintings on the walls of dark forest surrounding a diminishing path. They walked onto the dais painted with the Triforce emblem, but nothing appeared. "Do you think it already left?" Anakin asked quietly. Link frowned. He could still sense the darkness here, and it was very strong. It was only hiding.

"No… it's still here," he murmured.

Suddenly the way back down the stairs was blocked by some bars rising up from the ground, the sliding metal distracting everyone from the shadows that began to bubble up and form the outline of a man on a horse.

"What just… huh?" Ashei felt a wave of black magic pulse in the room like a sonic boom, deafening her magical senses to the point of pain. "Ah! What was that?" Link turned around and gasped, everyone turning with him. Link was startled to find the very same man from before sitting astride his black horse, grinning at them wickedly.

"So you're the boy that my master warned me would one day come here to defeat me?" The comment was strange, not something that the Ganondorf from before would have said. Ganondorf had no master…

Ashei said pretty much the same to the man in reply. "Ganondorf doesn't have a master! Who are you?" The man who looked like Ganondorf grinned. "I am his Phantom, his right hand, his best warrior. I do his bidding and carry out his will!" Ashei frowned. "So you're just a copy…"

Phantom Ganon snarled. "I am no copy! I am my own self! And now I shall destroy you, as is my charged command! You want the Sage of this Temple? You'll have to go through me!" With that, he put on a helmet using his magic and both he and his horse rose in the air and disappeared into one of the paintings.

"Quickly!" Ashei barked, recognizing the spell from one of her lessons with Auru, "Take positions! He'll return through another painting to catch us by surprise!"

Link nodded, taking a position on the far side of the room. "We should knock him off his horse first so we can get to him with our swords!" He glanced back at the two Jedi. "Do you have any long-range weapons?" They nodded. "We have hand-blasters," said Obi-Wan, "primitive things, but I assume they'll do?" Ashei nodded. "They'll do fine! Just get him off that horse!"

It took a few tries to get their timing exactly right, with many of them being half trampled by the Phantom horse's hooves, but eventually the horse disintegrated to nothing and the Phantom himself was left to float in the air. He threw a ball of electrified light at them, but Link quickly hit it back at him, and it was returned, the fight quickly turning into a life or death tennis match. Eventually the Phantom made a mistake, and his own energy ball hit him in the chest, and all four of them descended on the Phantom with their respective blades.

Phantom Ganon lay there in a heap, bleeding and kneeling on the ground. His armor was torn, his mask having fallen off somewhere, his bright red hair spattered and matted with blood. He was stooped over, breathing heavily as if a lung had been punctured. When he coughed, more blood splashed across the already bloody floor.

Suddenly, though, a bright circle of purple flames erupted around Phantom Ganon, and his head snapped up, his eyes wide.

"No master, I–" he began, flustered. "SILENCE!" another voice boomed.

And there was silence for a moment, until the voice chuckled darkly, and began to speak again.

"I was wondering when I would hear about you again, kid… it seems you've gained some slight skill since last we met. Sadly, you have defeated only my phantom. When you fight the real me, I won't be so easy to defeat!" The power in the purple flames intensified, and Phantom Ganon howled in pain.

"Master, please! Don't!"

"I said _be silent_! You have outlived your usefulness! You were such a worthless creation to begin with… such a pity you cannot be repaired. So, I shall banish you to the gap between dimensions!"

Phantom Ganon howled again, and he quickly grabbed Link's arm as he began to fade. "Boy! I must tell you! My master made me as an exact likeness to him! I fight how he fights! That… that is his weakness!" He released Link and Link staggered backward. "What… what do you…?" Ashei cast the Phantom a sorrowful look. "Isn't there… anything we can do?" The Phantom laughed weakly.

"I'm afraid not… but I would like to request that you kick _his_ worthless hide once you find him, do you understand?" The flames engulfed him and he screamed again. "Avenge me!" There was another pulse, another scream, and then finally only the echoes remained, and eventually even those faded.

Finally, a bright blue circle of light appeared in the center of the room.

"I take it that's our way out of here?" asked Anakin. Link nodded. "Yes. Though I must say, I do kind of feel bad for that Phantom… I mean, he was only doing his job, even if that job was that he was sent to kill us. Or just me, rather." Ashei nodded. "I can sympathize. No one should have to suffer that kind of punishment for simply failing to complete their task…"

All was quiet for a moment before Obi-Wan requested they move on. So they each stepped into the circle of blue light and were transported elsewhere.

When their sight and other senses were restored to them, they appeared to be standing on a triangular platform in the middle of a cylindrical waterfall. Other little waterfalls and glistening rays of light were scattered about the glittering room.

"What is this place?" Obi-Wan breathed, "I've never felt such a connection to the Force anywhere but in the Jedi Temple!" Anakin could feel it too, though the closeness had rendered him temporarily speechless as he attempted to control his emotions. "It's the Chamber of the Sages," Link answered them. "It's where I woke up after the seven years I was required to wait had passed." He glanced off to the side where a yellow pedestal sat to the left of a green one imprinted with the symbol of the Forest Temple.

"Rauru was here waiting for me…"

Ashei was even quieter than Anakin, and she stared at the pedestal with a strange feeling of loss burning in her chest. She was – however – distracted from it when the center of the green pedestal began to glow with a circle of bright blue light and a figure appeared from within it.

It was a small boy that looked to be about ten, but when one looked into his eyes one could see the weight of years hiding behind the bright blue irises. The boy smiled up at them from beneath his mop of radiant green hair and brushed off some nonexistent dust from his immaculately clean Kokiri tunic.

"Hello everyone," he said quietly, his smile the slightest shade of perfect cordiality. "I would like to thank you, you know, for freeing me. Without you, I would have never awakened as a Sage."

Link was stunned. Something in him had changed as he'd gone through that temple that he couldn't quite explain. He knew that according to his memories, he'd seen this boy only four (five?) days ago. But the weight of the seven years that were inserted somewhere in between was worming itself into his soul, and now he felt like it had been forever since they'd last met.

"You don't have to thank us, Makar, really. It was nothing." He smiled and said this with genuine enthusiasm. Makar simply smiled a secret smile and shook his head slightly.

"Regardless, I always believed you would come, because I know you." Makar chuckled softly and inclined his head to Link. "The forest resonates strongly within your heart." Link was about to say more, but Makar held up a hand. "No," he said quickly, "you don't have to explain it to me." Makar held out his hands and gestured to himself. "I'm the Forest Sage, remember?"

It was then that Makar's smile faltered, and he stared solemnly at the ground.

"While it is possible for me to return to the forest with you, I cannot. I have a duty to this place and to my station as a Sage. So for now, I shall stay here and help you with the aid of this Medallion."

Makar stood straight once more, holding out his arms as bright green power gathered in his palms. Link held out his own hands, and in a flash, a grass-green Medallion twirled between his fingertips. The Forest Medallion did much the same thing as the Light Medallion and pressed its magic into his chest. It did not quite throw him for a loop as the other magic had done, but the familiarity of the magic made his eyes tear up. The ghost of Makar's power joined readily with Link's own magic, and he fell to his knees.

"Oh, Makar…" Link sobbed quietly.

Link was barely able to glimpse the beginnings of a smile on Makar's lips as the world once again faded to white.

"It's okay," Makar's voice whispered to him, "I will always be your friend."

They found themselves placed in the dead Deku Tree's clearing. All but Obi-Wan were lost in their own thoughts, so it was Obi-Wan who noticed the little thing growing at the base of the dead tree.

"Look there! What is that?"

Link was snapped out of his thoughts of Makar as Obi-Wan pointed out the small, though sturdy stick with leaves growing on it. He approached it very carefully, leaning over it closely to examine its signature closely. It turned out that he didn't need to, for the little thing suddenly burst right out of the ground, throwing Link backwards into a very surprised Ashei's arms. Blushing furiously, she carefully helped Link remove himself off of her person and then quickly stepped away.

Though she was furiously scolding herself mentally for once again ogling her charge, deep down she actually kind of liked feeling the strength of his muscles beneath her fingers. But those thoughts were quickly buried as they all turned their attention to the thing that had burst from the ground, a perky tree sprout with a wide smile and a story it insisted they needed to hear.

"Hi there!" It chirped, "I'm the Deku Tree sprout!"

Anakin stared at it from off to the side, and then looked at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan shrugged. He'd seen a lot of strange things, but talking plants (especially ones that just popped out of the ground like daisies) weren't things one encountered on a daily basis even if you were a Jedi.

"Because you and Makar broke the curse on the Forest Temple, I can now grow and flourish! Thanks a lot!" It yawned, stretched its leaves happily, and then stretched them like a human would. "Hey," it said brightly after it was finished stretching, "have you seen your old friends?" Link nodded. The sprout smiled. "I'll bet none of them recognized you with your grown-up body, did they?"

Link shook his head. "None, except Fado." The Deku Sprout chuckled. "Fado has always been one of my protectors, it's only natural that he would know the truth… but as for the others, Kokiri are special. They never grow up; even after seven years they're still kids!" Link glanced up at Navi, who was staring down at the Deku Sprout with a mix of fright and wonder.

The Sprout paused then, watching Link's apprehensive expression.

"You must be wondering then… why did _you_ grow older?"

Link's gaze shifted from Navi back to the Deku Sprout. "Yes," he murmured quietly, "I have been wondering about that."

The Deku Sprout bobbed its little wooden head. "So then you must already know that you are not a Kokiri! You are a Hylian!" Though Link had been expecting something along those lines, hearing the words spoken aloud still surprised him, though he managed to refrain from backing up and trodding over Ashei's feet again. "So then… then how?" was all Link managed to say.

"Wait a few moments and let me tell you," the Sprout said. "Please sit."

They sat, with Link sitting directly in front of the sprout, Anakin and Obi-Wan side by side on his right and Ashei on his left. He felt a little safer with them near, though he could not decide how he felt about that.

"Some time ago," the Sprout began, "before the king of Hyrule unified this country, there was a fierce war in our world." Ashei nodded absently beside Link, murmuring, "I remember hearing about that from Auru…" as the Sprout continued with, "There was also a guardian house separate from the Sheikah that served the royal family as their protectors. You are a descendent of this guardian house. Your father was a knight, killed defending his town from invaders, and your mother… she fled the town as it was being overrun, but she was mortally wounded. She managed to make it to this very clearing before she collapsed and entrusted you to the Deku Tree."

Link stood up slowly, sensing the Deku Sprout's story had come to an end, his companions rising with him.

"And now… you have learned your destiny. But!" the Sprout said suddenly, his wooden smile brightening, "You must not feel bitter about it! You were meant to save this world!" Link smiled softly at the little sprout, tears springing to his eyes. "Of course not, little Sprout," he said quietly.

The Sprout nodded. "So now you know what you must do."

Link nodded. "I do." He took in a deep breath and turned around to his friends. Friends? Yes, that's what they were. He was silent for a moment, unsure of what to say, but when he met Anakin's eyes the other boy helped him out by breaking the silence.

"So, where to?" Link flashed him a small smile as he mouth a slight 'thank you' to him. He looked up at Obi-Wan and Ashei and nodded to them with a little more confidence.

"We go back to Kakariko. We should head for Death Mountain next."

And so the four companions and one guardian fairy left the Great Deku Tree's clearing, the little Deku Sprout smiling secretly to itself with silent laughter.

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><p>I am SO sorry this took so long, really. It's not that I've lost interest in this, no, I just don't have a lot of time to work on personal stuff with all my AP classes going in full swing now.<p>

But on a positive note, I am now eighteen! :D

(Reviews are belated birthday presents that I would appreciate very much.)


	15. Gorons in Trouble!

Chapter Fifteen: Gorons in Trouble!

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><p>Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force<p>

Chapter: 15

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: A friend of mine got me this Zelda Mint container in the shape of a Hylian shield from Oni-con last week, but I wasn't even the one who bought it, so I technically don't own that either… (pouts)

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

Not entirely sure when this is going to get put up… could be two weeks after my last post, could be two months (or two years but that's unlikely).

I really don't know at this point. (Applying for colleges and scholarships is _really_ time consuming, especially when you've got five AP classes added to that… I'm dying here, I really am.)

But obviously since you're reading this I did eventually finish and put this up so… enjoy! (And, review please. Thanks. :D)

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><p>It was getting to be just a little after noon when they entered the forest surrounding Kakariko Village's trailhead. Link wasn't sure what they'd find up on Death Mountain, so he thought it would be a good idea to wait to eat lunch in the village so that they could try to glean a little information from some of the villagers.<p>

The forest was very different at noon from what it had appeared to be in the light of the setting sun when they'd seen it last. It was less sinister, which most things appear to be when light is shed on them.

"Where do you propose we find someplace to eat in the village?" Ashei asked Link. "If we go back to Impa's house, Miss Anju would surely provide us with a meal, but we wouldn't learn anything." Link shrugged. "I saw a tavern on the path to Death Mountain Trail's gate. It looked safe enough." Ashei frowned. "In these times, Link? Nothing is safe."

A peculiar smile twitched its way onto Link's face. "I know," was all he said.

However as soon as he said this, the smile vanished and he stopped walking completely, his boots scuffing the dirt path. Ashei, who had been walking on right guard motioned for the two Jedi to stop as well, and she turned back to Link. "What is it? Do you hear something?"

Link looked up sharply, his hands twitching at his sword, but they stopped reaching when his eyes caught sight of the figure lounging on one of the branches above them.

"Sheik," he greeted the mysterious figure.

Sheik chuckled softly, but did not remove himself from his perch. "So… you destroyed the wicked creatures that haunted the temple and awakened the sage. And you survived! Good man. But, there are still other sages that need your help, as you know."

Link managed to suppress a sigh. "What is it, Sheik? I know this already…"

Though they couldn't see it from their vantage point, Sheik's fine golden eyebrow lifted slightly. "So then you know where you must go next?" Link rolled his eyes up at the Sheikah. "Where do you think we're going?"

At this, the Sheikah burst into outright laughter and said, while chuckling and brushing away a tear, "Of course, of course… but don't you want to know how to return to your original time if you need to? Of course, it would only be brief; this is the time to which you now belong." Link was struck with an overwhelming sense of emotion. Just as he was just getting used to the sights and sounds of this new world he was presented with the opportunity to return to his old one. What if Sheik wasn't who he said he was, and this was all a ploy concocted by Ganondorf to distract Link from his mission?

But, it couldn't hurt to at least attempt to entertain the notion… right?

"All right, I'm listening."

Sheik smiled beneath his loose cowl. "It's simple, Hero. Oh excuse me, _Link_, isn't it? Anyway, all you have to do is put the sword back into the pedestal and you're back at your original time. And when you draw the sword again, you'll be back at the exact second you left."

It was only then that Sheik chose to stir himself from his position on the branch and jump down to the ground to stand a few yards away from the group. "But that was not my original purpose here. I came to deliver a song to you, a song that will help you return back to the Temple of Time, should the need ever arise when you would need to return to the place quickly. Shall I teach it to you?"

Link looked back at the others, who shrugged. He sighed, shaking his head while rummaging through his hat for the Ocarina as Sheik produced his own harp from Din knew where. Really, where did he keep _anything_ in that suit?

"Ready?" Sheik asked as Link finally got his hat back on his head.

Link nodded.

"Well then," Sheik said quietly, "here is the Prelude of Light."

He began to pluck out a distinct melody on his harp, which Link repeated. Then Link ran through another two rounds as Sheik followed up with a harmony. Sheik smiled beneath his cowl as light burst through the trees, scorching the darkness that had been lingering there for seven long years.

"Very good, Link," he said when they were finished. "And as another tip, whenever the light around you is insufficient, I believe playing that song will suffice to aid you. It's all about intent, Hero." He backed up a few steps and bowed his head in thanks. "Now, I must go. We shall meet again!"

Link attempted to reach out for Sheik to make him wait – for he had so many questions – but Sheik was too fast. He'd already been reaching for a Deku Nut as he'd been speaking, and when he finished he immediately threw it to leave.

"Well…" said Obi-Wan dryly, "that was certainly enlightening."

Ashei frowned. "I still don't understand what he wants… I can't seem to get a read on him. And what was with that 'Hero' thing?" Link scowled. "Nothing, it was nothing…" Anakin, of all people, seemed to understand the subtext of the conversation and grinned idiotically. "Nothing? Are you sure it isn't because you don't like being called 'Hero', _Hero_?"

Link shot him a bland look.

"Call me that again and I might decide to accidentally make it very difficult for you to go to the bathroom for a few days…"

Then he grinned, and started off in the direction of Kakariko Village.

Obi-Wan leaned over next to Ashei ear and asked her, "Have you any idea what he means by that?" Ashei chuckled. "Eh, a few. I sort of dragged him off to the library after we had dinner in Impa's house that night and locked him in there until he read the books I gave him." She blushed slightly, remembering. "Knowing him, though, I'm sure it would be something very creative…"

Obi-Wan's eyebrows rose slightly before his lips morphed into a little grin.

"So that's where you two went… huh." He chuckled. "Better be careful Anakin, I'm pretty sure he'd hold up to that threat." Then he outright laughed as he followed Link down the path. Ashei just shrugged when Anakin looked her way despairingly and then she walked off with a wave. Anakin, stupefied, simply meandered after them as they went on.

Eventually, though, the air of the group returned to normal by the time they reentered Kakariko. Link directed them to the tavern he'd seen on the road to Death Mountain Trail, which was curiously named _The Headless Cucco_.

"Really, _The Headless Cucco_?" Ashei muttered to the rest of the group. Link simply shrugged. "I don't own the tavern. Anyway, we should either take spot up at the bar where we can here everyone's conversations, or we take a table in the back, your choice."

"Spots up front might draw attention to us," Obi-Wan murmured, "but they'll get us more information. We'll have to hide our weapons somehow…" Ashei shook her head. "Not Link and I… but you and Anakin will have to hide your lightsabers. Just pull your cloaks tighter and don't let anyone see them. Say, Link? You got any money for drinks? It would be helpful to buy some so we don't look like we're just trolling for information."

"Yeah, I have some. Just don't order any liquor. We need to be alert for the climb up the mountain." They all nodded and entered the tavern.

It was surprisingly quaint for a popular bar in Kakariko. The small establishment was sparsely decorated with small paintings and decorative pots, and large hand-woven cloths separated small alcoves where customers could enjoy their drinks or carry out their business in private. The long wooden bar was against the far wall across from the entrance, and the four travelers quickly walked up to the counter and took their seats.

Other customers who hadn't opted to use the private alcoves sat at the open wooden tables carefully spaced along the hardwood floor, and a few glanced up at them as they sat. Trying to ignore the stares, Ashei flagged down the bartender.

"Miss Telma! Drinks please!"

The bartender, Telma, was a stout, busty woman. Her dress suggested it was of Gerudo make, and her eye make-up was that usually only used by older Sheikah women, though she was clearly of neither denomination. She placed a wild red lock of hair back behind her ear and smiled broadly at Ashei.

"Of course, hon. You paying?"

"No," said Link quickly, "I am." Telma grinned. "Got yourself a boyfriend, Ashei? Good for you!" Both Link and Ashei glanced at each other and blushed scarlet, turning back to Telma and quickly attempting to refute the assumption. Telma laughed. "I'm just jesting with you, love!" She shook her head in mute amusement before looking back up.

"Well boys, what would you like to drink?"

"I'll have some chamomile tea, please," said Obi-Wan as he stared absentmindedly up at the menu. "And the two of us would like some Chateau Romani," Link said, gesturing to both Anakin and himself. Telma nodded and turned to Ashei.

"For you, sweetheart?" Ashei glanced across the drinks scribbled on the chalkboard. "Eh, I'll have the tea also." Telma nodded and totaled up the drinks. "All right, soldier," Telma finished, addressing Link, "Your order is a total of four drinks: two chamomiles and two Chateaus and that comes to about eighty rupees. Can you pay that or would you like to change your order?" Link checked his wallet and shook his head. "No, that's fine. I can pay that." And he placed a red, a purple, and two blue rupees on the counter.

"Ah! A customer that can count! You're a good man, soldier."

Link raised an eyebrow as he gently leaned back from the counter. "Soldier?" Telma laughed. "Would you rather I call you something else, honey?" Link blinked, a blush rising up fiercely to cover his cheeks. "Ah, no thanks. 'Soldier' will do just fine." Again Telma laughed as she took up Link's payment and told them their order would be ready in a moment.

"So, what now?" Anakin asked once the din of the tavern had lowered to the gentle murmur of gossip and private conversations.

Obi-Wan frowned. "I can't say for sure. Who on earth would know anything about what's going on up the mountain in a place like this?" A voice next to Obi-Wan cleared itself softly. "Pardon me, I couldn't help overhearing…"

Obi-Wan turned in the direction of the man at the far side of the bar. "Yes?"

"You said something about someone knowing about what's been happening on Death Mountain?" The man was about Obi-Wan's age or older if the lines around his eyes were anything to go by. He wore a faded leather helm and an unpolished but obviously well made and well-used set of armor. His blue-gray eyes were sharp and bright, and he sat with all the poise of a nobleman.

"I actually happen to know a little of what has recently occurred there. I'll tell you if we can acquire some place more private once you get your drinks."

Link wasn't sure why, but he felt that they could trust this man. However, he still felt that he needed to make sure the man wasn't trying to lure them into a trap. Ganondorf's spies could be anywhere.

"How do we know you're not going to try to harm us?" Link inquired softly, making sure that the man could still hear him. The other man grinned, his eyes sparkling in his mirth. "A good question. And I should hope that this is a good enough answer." He turned around to his left and pulled something from his pack. He placed it on the table and allowed Obi-Wan to examine it. It was a small shield carefully held together with delicate bolts and bindings, and emblazoned with the phoenix and Triforce symbol of the royal family.

"That's a buckler that was given to every Knight in the King's Guard. We were sworn under the ancient language to do no one harm unless ordered. And even while the good king no longer lives, I am still bound by that oath. So I cannot harm you." Obi-Wan nodded. "All right. We'll listen to you."

Just as he said this, Telma came to them with their drinks and Link motioned for the rest of them to make for the nearest alcove. Once settled, the man drew one of the dark brown curtains across the opening and the five of them sat around the small table nestled there.

"So," Ashei began, since no one else seemed to want to, "who are you? And what is it that you know about what's happened at Death Mountain?"

The man nodded to her politely as if bowing to her, removing his helm and placing it on the table so they could see the rest of his face. He had two small mustaches lining his upper lip and the corners of his mouth, and dusty blonde hair cut short at the nape of his neck.

"My name is Rusl. Obviously, I was once a member of King Daphnes's personal guard seven years ago. The details of how I'm still alive today are not ones I'm proud of, but I was a much younger, much more foolish man than the man I am today. Regardless of those details, I am here now to tell you what's happened to Death Mountain, yes?" Link nodded. "Of course. Please continue." He uncorked his bottle of Chateau Romani and began sipping at it, since the sweetness of the milk was particularly strong.

Rusl sighed, and leaned back against the wall of the alcove.

"It's not a very pretty tale, so be prepared for the worst that you can imagine."

The four of them nodded.

"Well," Rusl began, "for the seven years since the attack on Hyrule Castle, the mountain has been relatively undisturbed. However, recently, the Gorons have fallen on hard times since the Dodongos in Dodongo's Cavern began their breeding cycle and there has been less and less sirloin rocks for the Gorons to mine. Ganondorf had left them alone for the most part, as long as they paid their taxes in so many pounds of excavated stone. Of course, since they've been having trouble excavating, they haven't been able to pay their taxes."

Obi-Wan grunted. "I can tell where this is going… let me guess, he tried to threaten them?" Rusl nodded slowly. "Something like that.

"You see, he sent some of his skeleton soldiers, those Stalfos, to acquire the taxed amount by force. The Gorons fought them, destroying all but one Stalfos and sending it back to Ganondorf with a message detailing their situation." Ashei scoffed. "Darunia should know better. That man never listens to anyone's pleas! In fact, I think he revels in their suffering…"

Rusl shrugged. "Regardless, he did receive the message. And when he did, he wasn't too pleased at the actions of the Gorons. So what he did was he went directly into the mountain, and found the dragon that had been living in the crater for a few years now." Link, who had been previously tapping the glass of his finished bottle of Chateau Romani, stilled, but kept listening.

"He cast a spell on the dragon, and set it upon the Gorons as one would set a hunting dog upon a troop of foxes. Last time I was up there only Biggoron, his brother Medigoron, Darunia, and his son were the only ones left, and Darunia was preparing to head into the Fire Temple to rescue his people and slay the dragon with the legendary hammer that is the treasured weapon of the Gorons." Link had to forcibly take in a breath. This dragon couldn't be…

"This dragon, Rusl… what did it look like?"

Rusl sat up straighter and frowned in Link's direction. "Why do you ask?"

Link simply shook his head. "Just… tell me." Rusl shrugged, but described the features of the dragon as best he could. "It was long and sinewy, more like an overgrown firesnake than a dragon, but it did have wings and it breathed fire just as any dragon would. It could speak, too. Strangest thing. I'd heard some of them could do that, but I hadn't believed it until then. Poor thing. It's such a pity it has to be killed. I would have liked to have a conversation with it." Link was quiet, and no one spoke for a while until Anakin finally spoke for the first time since they'd entered the tavern.

"Do they have a name for this dragon?"

Rusl nodded. "Yes. They called it… Volvagia, after the first dragon of its kind that rested within the mountain."

Ashei noticed Link's blank stare and could sense how troubled he was by this news. She needed to talk to him about why this dragon was so special, and this wasn't the place to do so. Besides, they'd come for the information they needed.

"Well, we thank you for your information, Rusl. Is there anything we can do for you in return?"

Rusl shook his head. "Other than slay that bastard we're forced to call a king? Nothing." He stood up and moved the alcove's curtains away in the same motion. "Have a nice trip up the mountain! If you ignore the intermittent eruptions, its actually very nice weather up there today." He grinned at them as he left, turning in his glass to Telma before exiting the tavern.

The four were quiet for a moment until Obi-Wan moved to get up.

"Well, we have the information we came for, so I think perhaps we shouldn't waste any time in acting upon it." Anakin nodded beside him and followed him out of the alcove. Link and Ashei followed, but Ashei stopped him for a moment before they exited, their faces close together because of the alcove's compact design, her slender fingers gripping the muscles of his arm tightly.

"Are you all right? When Rusl mentioned that the dragon was to be killed, you looked sort of… sick." It was strange, but though Link's blue eyes were pricked with bright tears, the irises were dark. The muscles of his face were tense as if he were desperately trying not to cry.

He didn't say anything, but his silence was enough for Ashei.

She shook her head and gently loosened the tension in his face with her fingers, wiping away the tear-pricks at the edge of his eyes. "You knew that dragon from before, didn't you? You were close to it." This time, Link managed a nod, but he was still quiet. Ashei sighed. "Here, I've still a bit of chamomile tea left. Drink it. It'll help calm you down." She held her cup to him, and his eyes glanced down at it. For a moment he simply stared at it, but eventually he took it from her hands and gulped the rest of it down.

When he was done, he allowed Ashei to exit the alcove first, and he placed both his bottle and her cup on the counter besides Obi-Wan and Anakin's containers. They exited together, finding Obi-Wan and Anakin already outside.

"What took you so long?" Anakin asked them.

"Telma wanted to tease me some more," Link lied, flashing his friend a convincing half-grin. Anakin scoffed. "And you let her?" The grin blossomed into a genuine smile then. "Of course not." He said simply.

He and Ashei walked ahead of Obi-Wan and Anakin, and before Link could allow himself to return to sorting out his emotions again, he leaned next to her ear and whispered, "Thank you." She turned her head to him, meeting his eyes again. They were no longer dark, and instead they sparkled brighter than they had before with some emotion that Ashei couldn't name. They were so captivating that she didn't even berate herself for ogling her charge again. However, before she could do anything about her ogling (romantically or not), Link turned away and assumed the point position in the group.

Ashei wondered why she felt she'd missed a crucial opportunity as she attempted to nurse the pangs of guilt and loss that stirred in her breast.

She didn't have time to wonder for very long, though, for as soon as they walked onto Death Mountain Trail, they were attacked by a number of jumping spider things called Tektites, and were nearly flattened by several boulders.

"Din be – blast it!" Ashei swore as she somehow found herself underneath Link's body, his arms and legs pinning her against the large piece of rock they'd managed to hide behind. "He could have warned us about the boulders," Link muttered, not realizing exactly how compromising their position was. He leaned away, oblivious to Ashei's bright red cheeks, rolling backwards to land against the rock Anakin and Obi-Wan were hiding behind.

"Where are they all going?" Anakin asked, "Surely the villagers must have noticed." Link frowned, pressing his back against the rock and glancing over the side down the trail.

"There," he said softly, pointing at a point where the rock face seemed cracked and flattened. Bits of rubble littered the ground. "They're crashing against that wall before they ever have a chance to get to the village." He looked closer and his mouth tightened to a thin line. "Though it doesn't look like it'll last much longer. The repeated collisions are wearing a groove into the rock, and eventually they'll roll down the rest of the trail and into the village…" Ashei, finally recovered, crawled over to where Link was pressed up against the rock so she could hear what they were saying.

"Do you think the boulders will stop coming once we defeat the dragon in the Fire Temple?" Obi-Wan asked. Link winced, and turned back around to stare at his hands.

"Maybe," he replied quietly, "it's hard to say."

Ashei glanced down at Link, gently touching his left shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. He quickly looked up at her and flashed her a small smile before turning away again.

"Well," Ashei said briskly in an attempt to get the group moving, "whether we have to defeat the dragon to restore the Temple or not, we still to actually get there. So let's head for the Goron City to see if Darunia has left yet." As they stood up, another huge boulder rumbled past their hiding place to crash against the far wall. Ashei winced.

"Just be mindful of the boulders."

Anakin scoffed a barking laugh. "Really now? I wouldn't have known."

Ashei just rolled her eyes. The four travelers walked up the path (being mindful of the boulders, of course) until they came to a large pole with a tattered red flag fluttering in the sulfurous wind that was buried in the ground next to a sign that read, 'Goron City, up ahead!' Link frowned at it once they arrived. "Something wrong with the sign?" Ashei asked him.

He shook his head. "No… it's just that there used to be this Goron who would roll down the slope here about this time of day… he must have been taken with all of the other Gorons, like Rusl said."

Link stared at the sign for a brief moment before breathing shortly through his nose and making a barked hum somewhere in his throat.

"Come on, there's work to do."

They passed the platform with the symbolic ring of rocks as they entered the city. The moment the four entered, the air was so thick with silence that one could hardly breathe, save for a low rumbling sound that neither of them could pinpoint the source of. It was indeed the same three-tiered city that Link remembered from his time there as a child, but one very obvious thing had changed: it was totally _empty_. There was absolutely no one in the city, _at all_.

Link was quiet, as were the others. After some moments, it was Ashei who managed to break the silence. "Link? Where do we go next? You said something about finding Darunia before he left?" Link turned to her, his too-bright eyes re-focusing as he listened to her words. Turning back to the tiers of the city, he pointed down over the railing at the bottommost tier.

"See the stone door with the Spiritual Stone of Fire's emblem on it?" Ashei and the others moved on either side of Link to see where he was pointing. Anakin frowned. "It's locked. Great. So how do we get in?"

Link scoffed, leaning away from the railing. "We don't. He's already left."

"So what now?" Obi-Wan asked quietly, "Do we head up the mountain?" Link shrugged. "I suppose. I don't see any other course of… hey – what is that?" Link pointed over the railing again, this time pointing at a strange moving cloud of dust that was traveling along the circular path of the second tier. "Well, whatever it is," Ashei muttered, "at least we know what's making that sound now." It did indeed seem to be to source of the rumbling.

Link leaned over the railing a third time and squinted through the dust in hopes of seeing what exactly was creating such a cloud. He gasped, a little startled upon realizing exactly what it was.

"It's a Goron! There's still one left?"

Ashei stared, and finally she too leaned back in surprise. "Huh, so it is. Maybe it's Darunia's son? We should talk to him, see if he knows if his father's already left." Link shook his head. "No, Darunia's already left alright. But I wouldn't mind talking to his son to see if we can get any information about what's going on inside the mountain."

Ashei wasn't sure what information he was referring to, so she put a hand to his shoulder while Obi-Wan frowned at the rolling Goron.

"Well, that's a fine idea, but…" "…how do we get it to stop?" Anakin finished for him. Obi-Wan nodded, folding his arms across his chest and finally stroking the fine auburn hairs of his beard.

Ashei looked around, frowning at their surroundings, and then at the rolling Goron. Finally, she gave up, exasperated and looked down over the side of the railing. They had been silent for well over five minutes or so before Ashei even realized exactly what it was she had been staring at, and when she finally did realize, she face-palmed herself for her stupidity.

"Ugh, am I blind or what?" Link shot a careful glance in her direction as he raised a single golden eyebrow. "Ah… no?"

She chuckled quietly to herself as she pointed over the side of the railing with her free hand. "Look." And so they did. "What exactly is it we're seeing here?" Anakin asked Ashei, though it was Link that answered him. "Oh! Bomb flowers! Ashei, you're a genius!" Link practically tackled Ashei into a tight hug that left Ashei blushing.

"You okay?" Ashei nodded, trying to wipe the flush from her cheeks. "Yeah," she lied, "just couldn't breathe for a moment there." She took a few deep breaths as Anakin looked over the side at the Bomb Flowers.

"I take it that I don't need to ask what they do?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Yeah. I'd think it's pretty much self-explanatory."

Once recovered, Ashei drew her bow and pointed an arrow over the side of the railing at one of the flowers. Link drew his own arrow, aiming at the second flower. "Ready?" Link asked her as they watched the rolling Goron approach the flowers from the right side of the tier. "Ready!" she confirmed, nodding in emphasis. And the two of them let their arrows fly, setting off the explosive flowers and stopping the rolling Goron in his tracks.

"Yow!" He cried from below, "H-How could d-do this to me? You, you're Ganondorf's servant!" Obi-Wan glanced down at the young Goron. "Kid's not all that… bright, is he?" Link met his gaze and shrugged as he hopped over the railing to land on the tier below, the others following suit.

"You, hear my name and tremble! I am Link! Hero of the Gorons!"

Link stared at the shivering, still rolled-up Goron skeptically. 'Really?' He mouthed silently to Ashei. She shrugged and covered her mouth as she tried not to laugh. Link sighed and tapped the kid's rock-ridged back lightly.

"Hey, look, we're not here to hurt you. We just want to know what happened here."

The little Goron stopped shivering for a moment before looking up at the people that stood around him. "What?" he blinked at the four of them owlishly for some moments before locking on the bright green color of Link's tunic. "You're not Ganondorf's servants? So… who are you?" Link gestured to each of them as he introduced their group.

"I'm Link," he said, putting a hand to his chest, "this is Ashei," who waved a slender hand as she smiled brightly, "he's Obi-Wan," who simply nodded at the Goron, "and that's Anakin." Anakin appeared disinterested, but one could tell he was studying the little Goron out of the corner of his eye. "And I'm Navi!" said the little fairy as she flew out of Link's hat to flutter around the little Goron who was also called Link.

The Goron called Link gasped, quickly taking Link's hands into his own, his eyes shining bright with admiration. "You say your name is also Link? Then you must be the legendary Dodongo Buster and Hero, Link!"

Link glanced over at Ashei again, pleading for her help with his eyes.

She couldn't help from laughing now, but she did attempt to steer the direction of the conversation to where they wanted it to go. "Say, little Goron?" Link the Goron turned, letting go of Link the Hylian's hands and letting him fall comically to the ground. Anakin helped Obi-Wan pick him up as the Goron replied to Ashei's plea. "Yes, pretty lady?"

Ashei smiled down at him, giggling, "Aw, how cute…" before straightening up to pose her question. "You're Darunia's son, right? Can you… tell us whether he's still alive or not? Do you know?" She was being careful, but the Goron's happy demeanor changed instantly once she'd asked.

"No… I don't, goro. He… went down to the Fire Temple to rescue everyone and destroy the dragon, but… that was early yesterday morning and he's not back yet…" The little Goron began to tear up, and eventually cry uncontrollably, leaving Ashei standing over Darunia's son awkwardly. Navi fluttered over to Ashei and sat on her shoulder, whispering advice in her ear.

"You'd better try to calm him down if you can… maybe it will help if you talk to him?" Ashei looked up at her comrades, all of whom shrugged. She sighed, looking back down at the little Goron.

Finally she knelt down on one knee and put her right hand on the Goron's left shoulder. "Hey, ah… Link?" She couldn't help a smile as their Link groaned softly off to the side. The Goron was still crying, so she wasn't sure if he heard, though she still attempted to speak to him. "Can you… can you tell us anything about the Gorons?" Ashei winced as Darunia's son's bawling intensified, the comment having appeared to only agitate the Goron more. Quickly, Ashei managed to shush the little Goron's cries to their pervious level before trying again with a different topic, one she hoped would at least give Link some answers to his questions if not her own.

"Well, um… what about the dragon? Tell me why it has to be killed, please… if you can?" Darunia's son's cries dimmed to small sobs and shakes, and he was able to gather enough of his wits to respond.

"Well… it's not really the dragon that's the problem. There used to be a dragon that lived in the mountain called Volvagia that ate Gorons and other creatures alike… but then a long-eared warrior and a Goron hero slew it with their legendary weapons, and all was peaceful. The descendents of that dragon never bothered anyone again… until now. But it's not the dragon's fault! Ganondorf put a spell on it!" Ashei put her left hand on his right shoulder, looking deep into his eyes.

"Is there any way to save it?"

The Goron shook his head, still whimpering slightly. "I'm afraid not… the spell the Evil King used requires that the creature be slain if it is to be dissolved and the mountain returned to normal… and, and… now everyone's been taken to the Fire Temple to be eaten!" He started crying again, and this time Ashei simply sighed and shook her head, removing her hands from his shoulders.

"We'll take care of it," someone said quietly.

Ashei looked up to see that it was Link, who had stepped up and knelt beside her in front of the Goron. His handsome face was dark and solemn, but his eyes burned softly with a bright light. "We'll see to it that your father comes back alive, okay? And if not… well, we need you to stay here so that when all the other Gorons come back, they still have you." He gave the Goron a small smile.

"Oh great Hero of the Gorons…"

Link the Goron had stopped crying by now and was looking up at Link in awe. "But… where should I go?" Link nodded his head at a door near where they were standing. "Stay with Medigoron in his forge, okay? You'll be safe there. Promise me you'll stay there." The Goron nodded. "Okay, I'll stay."

They all turned to leave, but the little Goron held out a hand to stop them.

"Wait! You can't go into the mountain like that! You need heat resistant tunics!" Ashei looked at her companions and nodded. "He's right. We, well at least you," she said to Link, "won't be able to stand the heat of the volcano without one." She looked down at Darunia's son and asked, "Is the shop still open?" He nodded. "Just down there!" He pointed to the third tier at the bottom of the city.

"But you'll have to walk up the mountain the long way since my dad blocked off the door to his room. There _was_ a shortcut there… but now it won't even open for the royal family's melody…"

So the four travelers walked down to the third level and purchased a tunic for Link, since Ashei, Anakin, and Obi-Wan only needed to adjust their levels of Force flowing through them so they'd be protected. "I'd teach you how to adjust your Force levels," Ashei said after Link came out with his (free, courtesy of Darunia's son) heat-resistant tunic, "but I think red suits you."

Link simply shook his head at her and dragged her towards the entrance.

"Come on, we have Gorons to save," he said, though he didn't like what they would have to do to complete the task, "and… we have a dragon to slay."

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><p>Didn't I say something about there being a two-month gap between updates?<p>

I'm really sorry, but school has really taken a toll on my ability to create lately (or my time to do so, if I must clarify the fact) but since I am updating this story now I am showing all of you silent readers (cough-hint, hint-cough) that I haven't disappeared or died or anything (though school is certainly making me want to die right now).

Back to the story… I figure since Sheik had already made one appearance in this chapter it wasn't fair to have him appear a second time. Really, what it is… Sheik's just too awesome, see? And one appearance per chapter is really all the awesomeness you can fit into a chapter. So Sheik and a good portion of the Fire Temple will be in the next chapter, no telling if I'll be able to get it all in one chapter or not. I don't know.

I hope you liked Rusl's cameo. :D

Oh, and Merry Christmas, ya'll!

(Because I don't like to say Happy Holidays, but that's a whole 'nother can of worms that I'm not opening… so go have fun with your friends and families everybody. Or you can have fun reading this. Just have fun people, it's the holidays.)

- Hikari no Vikki


	16. The Fire Temple

Chapter Sixteen: The Fire Temple

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><p>Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force<p>

Chapter: 16

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: I may or may not have said this before, but I believe that both Shigeru Miyamoto and George Lucas are MALE. I am, as far as I know, FEMALE. You do the math.

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

Hmm… my last post was before Christmas, right? Yeah… sorry about the delay. It's just been so difficult to get my butt in gear since I was playing Skyward Sword the whole last week of Christmas break, and school's been killer on my sleep schedule since then. I do try.

But since this is up here, obviously I managed to pull up a new document and start writing _something_… well, enjoy.

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><p>The five travelers, two Jedi, two Hylians and one very disgruntled blue fairy, began the long trek up the mountain. Since Darunia had closed off his room from the center of the Goron City, they were forced to choose this method of reaching the peak, as it was the only remaining way of reaching the Fire Temple and the raging dragon inside it.<p>

Said aforementioned trek certainly wasn't any different as far as Link was concerned.

Though the distance didn't seem quite so far to his adult legs and the mountain was still intermittently erupting flaming rocks down the mountainside (albeit at a slightly more frequent pace), there was little change in the path.

Link did manage to note that he could no longer hide underneath his Hylian shield as he had done when he was a child, and so had to adopt a kind of serpentine half-gallop in order to avoid being hit by any of the flaming bits of rock and molten lava. (As he had the pleasure of finding out via one of the smaller burning projectiles, while his new tunic protected his skin from being burned by the flames, it did not protect it against physical harm of any kind.)

His companions, however, were unfamiliar with the terrain and of course mostly freaking out (with the person doing most of the freaking out being Anakin, of course).

"What the hell, Link? You happen to forget to that there was going to be huge, flaming rocks raining down on our heads as we went down this road?" Anakin asked Link not to kindly. Link, who was unfazed by his friend's tone, simply replied back with, "We're going _up_ this road, actually. And the rocks aren't _that _huge." Of course, an enormous, half molten monstrosity about the size of a small starfighter buried itself into ground after he said this.

"I think you spoke too soon, Link," Ashei cajoled, laughing even in the face of certain danger and severe bodily injury. Link sighed as loud as one could possibly do so whilst running for one's life, though he chuckled quietly at her sharp, candid attitude.

Obi-Wan, who was bringing up the rear, simply laughed quietly along with him and gently reprimanded Anakin for his colorful choice of words.

Thankfully, by the time they reached the climbing wall, the cliff above them was just high enough to grant them a small area of safety. Ashei quickly took care of the small Skulltulas and lone Tektite that had claimed the wall as their home and the four of them began to climb, for the quicker they moved the better: the dragon inside the Temple wasn't going to slay itself after all.

"Come on," Link said after they'd all managed to get over the edge of the cliff, "the entrance should be inside. Unless anyone here needs a break?" They all shook their heads. "No," Obi-Wan said, speaking for the others, "I think we're good." Link nodded and led them inside.

The inside was blistering hot.

Suddenly Link was very grateful he had been given the heat-resistant tunic by Link the Goron. The heat felt like it was rolling off of him in suffocating waves – at least for a few moments. Then a wash of magic surged through the tunic briefly, making the material flash before settling down in a circular motion. Link stared at the material, transfixed with the workings of this strange magic, but he shook his head and reminded himself of their mission.

Ashei surveyed the area, noting the broken bridge nearby and the circle of rock near the center of the crater. "I think that's our only way across. We'll have to jump… or something." Link nodded. "All right," he said, pulling the Hookshot out of one of his spelled belt pockets, "Let's go."

The four of them just barely made it across before a familiar form shimmered into being before them, seeming to step out of the heat itself.

"Sheik," Link murmured, giving the addressed a curt nod of acknowledgement. The opposite party replied in kind with a nod of his own. "Link. And of course, your companions… it is a pleasure to see you all here without a scratch on you… I was afraid that the mountain would have taken at least one of your number."

Link frowned. "My friends are more skilled than that. Even Anakin knows how to keep himself alive… for the most part." He flashed the Padawan a backwards grin before meeting the Sheikah's gaze again.

The mouth beneath the cowl twitched with faint amusement. "Ah, yes… friendship. It is something that grows over time, a true friendship. A feeling in the heart that becomes stronger over time…" his single visible eye flickered towards Ashei, "…that passion of friendship will soon blossom into a righteous power and through it, you will know which way to go."

Ashei, for some reason she couldn't fathom, blushed fiercely; suddenly glad the room was already tinted red with the light of the lava below.

"Should you ever need to return here quickly, I shall teach you this song so that your precious time may not be wasted. I dedicate this song to the power of the heart… the Bolero of Fire." Link was already holding the Ocarina, having fished it from another spelled belt pocket on his left side. "Ready?"

Link nodded, still unable to fathom where exactly Sheik managed to keep his golden lyre hidden on his person. His musings were cut short though, as Sheik had begun playing, forcing his mind to focus on the notes.

They were short and fast, _staccato_, his mind supplied, and played quickly, the catching rhythm beating on the air of their surroundings like a drum. It began fast and became even faster as the all-consuming tune carried on, the lava below churning with the power of the music. It slowly came to a gentle rest, leaving Link staring at the Ocarina in wonder at its awesome power.

Sheik smiled to himself. He _should_ be amazed at its power, for even the two Jedi seemed to have noticed the sway of the music.

"Well, Link… it seems our time is up. I shall see you again."

And once again, before Link could even look up, the Deku Nut was flying from Sheik's hand, blinding the four travelers as the Sheikah disappeared back through the wavering heat of the volcano.

"You know," Link muttered quietly, "it's getting to the point where I don't even try anymore. Slippery prick probably wouldn't even stay if I asked him to anyway…" Ashei shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not." Link waved her comment away. "Right. Let's just get down to the Temple."

The four travelers made their way down the long metal ladder and stepped into the Fire Temple's entrance room. Similar to the Forest Temple, it was grand and ostentatious, burning Fire Keese fluttering around the large stone idols with fires burning in their sinister, gaping mouths. There were four doors in the room, though only two were available to enter.

The first led to a small tunnel, containing only a curled Goron too paralyzed with fear to speak to them directly, and the Boss Key, both stashed safely behind the deceptively strong golden bars.

"It's not Cortosis," Obi-Wan observed, "but it's not pure gold, either." He tried slicing through the bars with his lightsaber, but all that did was remove flakes of gold paint from the bars. He examined the metal, still unable to discern the material's composition. "It could be Madalorian iron, simply painted gold. Either way, we're not getting through this way. Let's try the other door we saw."

They did so, running up the steps to open the second door.

Darunia heard the door open behind him and he growled as it opened. Had the _merciful_ King sent something _else_ to kill him? It wasn't enough that his people were to be fed to that poor captive mind slave he dared to called a vicious dragon, but now he had to be the first one slain in the name of evil?

"Who's there?" he boomed, hoping to scare them away with the sound of his mighty voice. He stared across the fiery chasm, squinting at the young man who stared back at him in wonder. "Darunia?" the blonde youth questioned, "You're alive?" Darunia took a step back. "Is that you, Link?" He took a closer look as the youth's companions entered the room, closing the door behind them. "And Ashei? It's been ages!" The raven-haired girl nodded.

"Look at the two of you! How big you've grown…"

Link smiled bitterly. "Darunia, I understand you'd like to catch up, but now's not exactly the time." The leader of the Goron's nodded. "True enough. I'm assuming you know then? Did my son tell you?" Link nodded. "He did, and I made sure he stayed somewhere safe until this is all over." Darunia nodded his thanks. "Yes, it's better that way…"

It was quiet for some moments before Darunia looked up again, capturing Link's eyes with his powerful stare. "Link, I must ask you something as my Sworn Brother. You must agree to this completely and commit yourself to it, as though you were one of my people and this were a direct order." Link was confused, but nodded reluctantly, sensing that Darunia was about to ask him something he wasn't going to want to do. "Go and save my fellow Gorons scattered throughout the Temple. I will go on ahead and try to keep the dragon from doing any more damage… whatever you do, do _not _attempt to come after me until you have saved every single Goron in this temple."

"But, Darunia… it'll… he'll kill you," Link whispered. Darunia shrugged. "It is quite possible, since I do not have the legendary hammer of my ancestor, but… it is not a death I should avoid. After all, what warrior wouldn't want to go down in flames and glory?" The Goron leader turned around a broke through the golden chains. "I'll see you on the other side, Brother!"

And then he entered the door, the sound of it slamming echoing through the entire Temple as the golden chains repaired themselves, preventing anyone from following.

"Darunia…"

Ashei frowned, putting a hand on Link's left shoulder. "Come on, let's go. We can't follow him now anyway." Link shook his head quickly and nodded. "There's a switch over there," he said, pointing to the other side of the room where another cell was set into the rock. "I'm on it!" Anakin shouted, jumping across the platforms.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat to gather Link's attention as his padawan scampered towards the cell.

"So that was Darunia?" Link simply nodded. "You seem to care for him very much. And… what did he mean about being his Sworn Brother?" Link nodded again to Obi-Wan's observation, and replied to his question.

"In my quest for the sacred stones as a child, I had to slay King Dodongo in order to earn his approval. With the help of a young dragon I met inside the cavern, I did so, and he gave me the Goron's Ruby. Afterwards, he named me his Sworn Brother in honor of my courage. I got the impression that it was one of the highest honors anyone could have, since he had mentioned that King Daphnes had been his Sworn Brother before me. Beyond that, I don't know. Perhaps to be a Sworn Brother is more than just an honorary title, but something more than that, that you were like family…"

"And family never gets left behind," Ashei murmured.

"Something like that," Link agreed. Obi-Wan nodded, approving of the clarification. "And the dragon? Is it… the same?" Link was quiet, but he replied with a soft, "It is highly likely. Before I left for Zora's River I brought the dragon to the Crater so it would have a place to grow." He sighed. "I think I understand now, what you were trying to say about attachments…"

Obi-Wan scowled.

"Link, listen. I was wrong about what I said before, for the most part. Yes of course, some attachments can cause more harm than good, but it was not your fault in this case. I can tell it pains you to know that with each step you come closer and closer to having to slay your friend, but you are also just as committed to it as much as you swore you would commit to Darunia's request. You don't like either task, but the fact that you continue to follow through with them shows you have the resolve to complete them. And if you fail in your resolve, remember that you have us. You are not alone here."

"And," added Ashei, "you're not a Jedi. Certain attachments are discouraged for them, but you have no such restrictions." Link smiled at her. "Okay."

"Okay, what?" Anakin asked, landing back on their platform with a jump.

"Nothing you need to know about," Ashei teased, "it's adult business!" Anakin scowled at her. "I am an adult!" She grabbed him in an attempt to plant a noogie in his hair. "Yeah, barely." The two struggled with one another before Obi-Wan separated them, a mildly amused grimace set on his face.

"All right, quit it you two. Anakin, did you find anything?"

Anakin blinked, and then his face lit up as he remembered. "Oh, yeah! I freed one of the Gorons from that cell! He told me that in order to get across the lava to that room back there, we need to lower the pillar in the ceiling somehow from one of the upper levels. And he gave me this." He handed Link a small silvery key, which was imprinted with the symbol of the Fire Temple along the flat impression near the handle.

"Awesome!" Link cried out, "Now we can get into the other room! Good work, Anakin!" He flashed a smile at his friend, who was thankful for the compliment. "It was nothing, really."

They exited through the door they'd entered and crossed the entrance room to the door on the opposite side using the key Anakin had found.

"Whoa."

It was a collective exclamation, with Anakin whistling softly at the room's largeness. Bridges and platforms were strewn across the room to make various paths across the lava to three different exits. Various monsters also occupied the space, with more Fire Keese and a few Fire Bubbles bouncing about. "So, um… where do we start?" he muttered. Ashei shrugged.

"Paper, rock, scissors?"

Link ended up winning this time, choosing to go left. "That is so cool," Anakin commented, referring to Link's ability to walk on the lava without being hurt, "now I want one of those." Link grinned. He figured he could at least walk across it, but not stand on it for too long, since the magic would overwork itself trying to keep him safe. "Unfortunately, you'll just have to stick to the wall there. Or jumping across those blocks, but I wouldn't trust them to hold your weight for long." He grinned. "Showoff." Link laughed.

Once they arrived at the left side of the room, Ashei pointed out the Song of Time block sitting on top of the ledge above the door. "We'll get to that, but first, let's see what's behind this door." It turned out to be one of the captive Gorons, this one politely tipping them off that walls that sounded strange when struck could be removed using the Gorons' special crop.

"I think he means Bombs," Ashei supplied, as Link fished out a key from the nearby chest. He nodded. "I thought so too. But the walls? It's a little far-fetched." Ashei shrugged. "I've heard it's possible."

After exiting, Link played the Song of Time to move the block from the ledge to the level below it, and climbed up to enter the door it revealed. The sealed room was green and mostly nondescript… with the exception of the floor that tried to kill you and the freaky slimy tube that guarded a Golden Skulltula.

"Ugh…" Link glared at his clothes, now covered in rubble and Like-Like goo, "that is just nasty." Ashei chuckled sympathetically as she waved her hand once and removed the mess from his person, leaving it all to simply fall in a heap on the floor. "I know. It's happened to me before. Just be careful you don't let one eat you. It'll spit you out eventually, but it'll also eat your tunic and shield, too." Link frowned. "Can't you get them back?" Ashei nodded, her lips curling into a discontented frown. "Yeah, but they'll also be covered in that… stuff. It's not pretty." Link shuddered. "I can imagine."

They made their way to the opposite side of the large lava filled room, finally coming to and oddly colored section of wall. Ashei frowned, drawing her white sword and hitting against it. The sound was thin and hollow, almost as if it were echoing. "Say, Link? Put a bomb here." He gave her a skeptical look. Scowling, she flipped open his belt pockets, sifting through them until she found a stray bomb in one and lit it at the base of the wall.

Link's blush was fierce; since her closeness did something to him he wasn't sure how to deal with, but it didn't stop him from moving away from the bomb before it exploded, revealing another door.

"So that wall _was_ bomb-able…" Anakin mused. "Pretty cool."

The room beyond yielded another captive Goron who gave them a piece of advice about switches that could also be set off using bombs, and of course another small key.

"Only one exit left. Let's keep going," Link encouraged.

Again they took various routes across the lava to the remaining exit, entering the room beyond as soon as everyone was accounted for. What the next room beyond lacked in width it made up for in height, with a tall chain fence that divided the room standing easily ten or twelve feet tall and even then reaching to only about half the room's total height.

A small opening in the ceiling was positioned above a pillar of flame that appeared and disappeared at various intervals. More fencing was attached to the wall from the top of the high fence, creating a walkway above a platform with a huge block and stone torch resting on it. Keese sat perched on the walkway. The only way across: a sloping wooden beam that only worked one way – down.

"Well," Obi-wan observed, "it seems like we can use that block there to get up to the opening in the ceiling, since there seems no other practical way up." Link nodded. "We should probably get rid of those Keese once we're up there. If they get anywhere near that torch they'll turn into Fire Keese, and I don't fancy having to fight them when they're burning. Regular ones are hard enough to pick off."

Ashei and the two Jedi nodded, scaling the fence and picking off the Keese before they even knew what was happening to them. Then Link jumped down onto the platform below to push the block onto the column of fire. Anakin did the same and helped Link push it over the edge. "Thanks, Anakin."

"No problem." Anakin turned around, looking up at the fencing where Obi-Wan and Ashei still stood. "Hey, old man! Hurry up! You too, Ashei!" His master scowled. "I am _not_ old… yet." And then he jumped down, helping Ashei come with him and the four of them boarded the fallen block and rose up through the hole in the ceiling to a small room containing only a locked door. The four departed from the block before the fire beneath it diffused.

"So, which way?" Link asked, joking. Ashei chuckled. "I don't know… it's so hard to choose." The two Jedi joined in the joviality as Link unlocked the door and the entered the next area of the Temple.

The tiles here were colored green from the lack of light, though two little crawling things that Navi identified as Fire Slugs were illuminating part of the room, as was a single torch on the second highest ledge, and a ring of fire that surrounded what looked to be the only way to exit the room. There was also a Goron trapped behind a row of bars, but the switch to free him was on the other side.

"That switch there looks like it will turn off those flames near that climbing wall," Ashei pointed out, "but it's probably on a very fast timer." Link frowned. "Well, what if we dropped a bomb near it from the top ledge, wait for it to turn on the switch, and then scale the wall as fast as we possibly can? We'll have to scale it all at the same time, though, since it's unlikely the timer will give us enough time to scale it one at a time."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Let's get it done."

The four ascended the ledges and finally made it to the top, where Link dropped a bomb down near the switch, and they waited for it to explode. Finally it did, and they all quickly climbed the wall before the timer expired and the flames rose again.

"Sheesh, that was close… let's not do that again," Anakin whispered, shuddering. "I can't promise that," Link replied regretfully. "That's all right."

"Ahh! Is this place trying to kill us?"

Just as they entered the next room, a large magicked boulder stopped in front of them before turning back around on its preprogrammed path. Link and Ashei were unfazed, Obi-Wan more or less the same, though Anakin was shaken by the moving boulder. "No," Ashei answered matter-of-factly, "but from the looks of this place it seems that this was originally some sort of training ground. It's designed specifically to test your wits and keep you on your toes as much as possible." Anakin scowled. "That's nice to know…"

The boulders continued to plague them until they came across another switch and a cell that contained a captive Goron. This one thanked Link and his companions with a wide, toothy grin. "Thank you very much for freeing me! In return, may I give you a piece of advice?" Link nodded. "Sure, why not?" The Goron smiled happily. "Good. Well, in this temple, there are doors that fall down when you try to open them. When one of these doors starts to fall, move! If you use the some of the Goron 'special crop,' you can break them so they won't fall anymore!"

And then the Goron rolled off to join its other free Goron buddies wherever they were congregating…

"That was supposed to be… helpful?" "I think it's the thought that counts, Anakin." "Hmm. Right. Whatever you say, Master."

After some more exploring and avoiding the giant rolling boulders, they eventually freed another Goron, acquired a second small key, and used one of the two recently acquired keys to open it.

"Umm… is that…?" Link whispered, more to himself than anyone else as he looked down over the edge at the fuzzy lava area below. "Yeah, looks like it," Ashei confirmed, "So, unless you want to go through with all that stuff we just did in the past half hour, I suggest that you _don't fall_." Link shot her a look. "Obviously."

"And personally," Anakin added, "I still _really_ don't want to do that thing with the fire wall again."

So of course they were extra careful in reaching the dungeon map and entering the next room, because even Obi-Wan had to agree with Anakin on the point about the fire wall. Of course, though, there just HAD to be another, bigger wall in the room beyond, forcing the group to run very quickly across the linked metal grating over to the higher platforms to avoid being torched.

"This place is insane!" Anakin cursed under his breath as he tried to gather it again, "I mean, who builds a temple in a volcano?" Ashei gave him a look. "Um, people that live near one?" Anakin just glared at her.

"Guys," Link barked softly, "focus." Obi-Wan nodded. "Link's right, you two. Well, we don't have any more keys for that locked door over there, so it looks like we'll have to go searching for them through this door over here." He gestured to the door on their same platform and they all agreed.

It turned out that it led them to the upper level of the boulder room where they could reach the top of the walls that made up the maze of giant rolling rocks. Across from where they entered was a large platform with a torch and a large gash in the stone, revealing a passage beneath.

"We could bomb it," Ashei suggested. "Find out where it goes."

Link leaned over the gash to peer down into the cracks. "It looks pretty safe down there, so I guess it couldn't… whoa-OH!"

The dirt beneath his feet crumbled beneath him and buckled under the whole of his weight, sweeping him off his feet to fall with the rest of the rubble. Or at least that's what would have happened hadn't Ashei been quick enough to grab his arms and pull him back over the edge to safety. However, Link's weight and the combined momentum of Ashei's pulling sent Link once more into Ashei's arms, where Link's chest was flush against the thick fabric of her leather jerkin that covered her own chest. They both blushed and disentangled themselves carefully so as not to send Link over the edge again.

"Well," he chuckled, "that's one way to do it." Ashei, unable to be angry at him for being so reckless could simply look off to the side and laugh softly through a quick, "Yeah, just don't make a habit out of it." Link looked over at the hole with a scowl. "I don't plan to."

The four travelers made it down the hole (safely) by using some of the chain-linked material to climb down through the passage. At the end of it was another switch that freed the Goron they'd had to pass up earlier since they'd had no means to free him.

"Are you releasing me? Am I free to go?" This Goron was particularly excited about being free, speaking so rapidly it was almost hard to understand, but the four managed to make most of it out. "Yes…" Link said slowly as Ashei fished out the key from the nearby chest, "Of course." The Goron clapped happily. "Well, then let me give you some advice!"

Link nodded for the Goron to continue.

"Somewhere in this temple, you're sure to meet up with some creatures that dance as they attack. Arrows won't hurt them! You'll need some of the Goron 'special crop' to defeat them! Thank you so very much!"

And then the freed Goron rolled off to join its free friends wherever they were congregated. Link blinked. "Did… any of you catch that?" Anakin frowned. "Something about… dancing creatures… and needing that Goron… 'special crop' or something. Right?" He looked at Obi-Wan, who nodded his head slowly. "I think that's what it said. Those are bombs… right, Ashei?"

Ashei nodded, handing Link the key. "Yeah. I guess we'll find out what those dancing creatures are soon enough. Come on; let's get back to the other room. I think I saw another Goron we haven't freed yet."

So they returned to the previous room and found another Goron, freeing it, and returning back to the room with the incredibly persistent fire wall of doom (Anakin's nickname for it) to climb onto the ledge where the locked door was located, open it and proceed deeper into the temple.

They walked down a long, torch lit hallway before exiting out into what appeared to be another main hub sort of room. Navi, who had been hiding under Link's hat and hair for a good portion of the time in the temple pointed down at the grating beneath their feet and informed them of the room below.

"That's the room where we last saw Darunia! It looks like that's the pillar we need to somehow get down there… whew…" Navi sighed and wiped the sheen of sweat from her brow. Link ushered her back into his hat. "Navi, it's too hot in here for you, you'll burn up! Stay in there until we get out of here, okay?" Too weak to protest, Navi did as she was told and curled up inside the hat, where it was cool and safe.

"Now… which way?"

They ended up going left again, Anakin ending up finding out the hard way that all the nice black pillars scattered across the area in conspicuous rows were actually a sort of twisted maze of tiny fire walls that didn't appear until you were a foot away.

"_Kriffing_ damn fires! Ah… I really liked this tunic…"

Obi-Wan scolded Anakin quietly for his language, which he was surprised to hear Anakin actually apologize for. Link smiled at him secretly as Obi-Wan looked at his Padawan incredulously, remembering the discussion they'd had a few days back about the bond between teacher and student. Finally, they arrived at another locked door more or less in one piece.

"I promise you Anakin, once we get out of here I'll repair your tunic for you." Anakin held up a tentative hand. "Actually, I'd like you to teach me how to repair it. I can't depend on you forever if I'm going to be a Knight someday, right?" Struck dumb with foreign thoughts of that time when Anakin would be a Knight, it was all Obi-Wan could do to simply nod as they entered the next room.

Or hallway, rather

Though there was a Goron trapped inside the hall, they couldn't access him because the switch to release him was rusted through. "Maybe if we find that hammer Darunia was talking about, we can push it down using that," Ashei mused. They eventually exited the hall through the opposite door. On the other side, more fire mazes awaited them, as well as several annoying Fire Keese and a switch that activated another of those lovely quick get-to-the-safe-ledge games that eventually landed all four of them at a unlocked door.

Or at least they thought it was a door.

SLAM!

"Sheesh…" Ashei coughed as she'd ducked out of the way of the flailing door, "couldn't they give you a little more warning?" Link gave her a look. "I think they did." She rolled her eyes. "The doors, not the Gorons!"

Link grinned. "I knew that." Ashei sighed, hiding a smile beneath her hair. "Yeah, sure you did." They blew up the fake door using one of Link's bombs and entered the real door into the next room.

At first, the room was simply dark.

Then a circle of flame lit upon a solid box-shaped stone platform in the center, the tendrils licking at the black air as if it could consume the shadows whole. The light cast by the fire spread through the room like a cancer, growing upon the walls until you could vaguely make out its shape. The walls were tall, tall enough that even some shadows were lucky enough to escape the light's hunger, and lay huddled upon the ceiling, concealing it. The area of the room was sixteen by sixteen feet, covered by a light dusting of dirt.

And there was the laughter.

It screeched, high and painful in their ears, until it toned down to a low feminine rumble. The fire danced even faster until finally something shot out it, briefly giving the four of them a glimpse of the high ceiling before coming back down to rest with a gust of heat before them.

The creature was humanoid in shape, and female, a scanty ballet dress patterned upon her fiery body with pieces of ash, coal, and blackened embers. Two iron shackles encircled her wrists, and light, silver chains connected them to intricate stilts strapped on her feet. The stilts were compromised of two long sword points that gleamed orange and silver, attached to stiff golden knee joints and a red and black stocking of indescribable material that was decorated with golden anklets fused to the straps that wound the stilts around the creature's legs. Three other distinguishing features were the disturbingly plain indents of her mouth and eyes, her long, flaming hair, and the thin sharp daggers attached to each of her ten long, bright fingers.

"Well…" the creature whispered huskily, "what have we here?"

Her voice crackled in their heads like the embers that decorated her clothing.

"More victims? And so handsome…" Her filmy eyes caught sight of Ashei, and her yellow lips turned upwards ever so slightly. "Even you… so pretty. Beautiful, even. You, my dear… I shall consume you _last_…"

And then she laughed again, high and piercing. Something about this laugh, though, snapped something deep inside Link that he hadn't even realized had been with him. But then he remembered the taste of it. He shook his head, willing the darkness to _go away_ and leave him to fight this creature on his own terms. After all, this creature was not like the guardians of the Forest Temple. This creature, Link sensed, really and truly wanted to kill them.

"Not if I can help it!" he roared, drawing his sword and sliding his shield over his right arm, dragging the sword's steel upon the metal of his shield to snap his companions out of their trances. It worked, for instantly Ashei had drawn her gleaming white sword not a second later, with Anakin and Obi-Wan quickly turning on their lightsabers behind her.

The creature snorted daintily. "No matter, I shall consume you anyway. It will just take a little while longer to do it." She smiled, the kind of way a wolf would smile at its prey before a kill, and then she began to dance.

Link and Ashei saw what was coming even before the Jedi did, ducking below the spinning chains before they hit. Anakin and Obi-Wan however, were not so lucky. Obi-Wan was hit with the full force of it, earning a cut off cry of, "Mast-UH!" from Anakin, who had managed to jump back a little after seeing the chain hit Obi-Wan, but was still hit quite heavily across the chest, sending him flying into the wall.

"Ooh, first blood! Care to cry settled, little fleshling?" she cackled. Anakin groaned, spitting out a glop of spit and blood from where his jaw had hit the wall, now stained with a spot of red. Obi-Wan was out cold.

"Never!" Anakin cried weakly, his eyes lazily searching for his lightsaber through the haze covering his vision.

Ashei, panicked, looked over at Link.

"What do we do? If she keeps on spinning like that, we won't be able to do anything!" Link swore under his breath. "I'm thinking, I'm thinking…" He remembered what the Goron had said about the bombs before, but he just couldn't see how that would work…

"Face it," the Flare Dancer teased, "you'll never be able to get a hold of me!" Link blinked, suddenly seeing something within the flames of her body. He gasped, and idea coming to him, He turned to Ashei, grasping her shoulders and turning her to him so that she could look into his eyes. They were very close, but neither one of them seemed to notice.

"I have an idea, but you have to bear with me. Keep dodging those chains until I tell you to go after her, all right? Just trust me!" Ashei nodded, moving away from Link. "Any plan is better than no plan!"

So Link ran, pulling out his Hookshot from his hat as he did so. The Flare Dancer stopped spinning, spying the item in Link's hand, and she hissed. "Oh, no you don't!" She leapt, landing right in front of Link and slashing the daggers of her right hand diagonally across Link's chest. Link grunted from the force of the impact, but the reinforced fabric of the red Goron Tunic didn't tear. He winced, but forced himself to quickly launch to loaded spring straight into her chest, pulling out a strange heart shaped thing with legs.

The fire of the Flare Dancer dissipated after the thing had been pulled from her chest, but it quickly detached itself from the Hookshot and ran in the opposite direction towards Ashei.

"Kill it!" Link shouted over the fire. To this, Ashei quickly responded, having no qualms whatsoever about being ordered around.

With their two other companions either knocked out or dazed, Link and Ashei repeated this process four more times, each time the Flare Dancer reentering the fire to recover its former shape and exiting it as a different color of flame, going up the scale until finally it was a deep mesmerizing violet-blue.

By this point, the two were very tired, and Link knew he was making careless mistakes. His aim was off, though he couldn't tell if it was because of exhaustion or heat stroke. Ashei wasn't faring much better.

One such mistake sent Link thudding against the wall somewhere near Anakin, stars nearly blinding Link's sight from the pain of coming into contact with the wall so quickly. He could understand why Anakin had passed out after having weakly protested his surrender.

On the other side of the room, in Link's line of sight, the Flare Dancer advanced on Ashei, who'd lost her white sword somewhere, and was now being backed into a corner. She tried calling the Force to help her, but she was so weak she knew that she couldn't have even managed to unlock the door to Dampé's house if she wanted to.

"I've got you now," the fiery creature sang, "there's nowhere to run. Still, that was very entertaining… I shall commend you for giving me quite a show. I haven't had to work for my food like that in a long time!" She cackled brightly while brandishing the daggers on her left hand. Link saw what she was about to do and tried to cry out, but his voice had abandoned him. Tears came to his eyes for a reason he couldn't fathom, and panic welled up within him.

The darkness stirred in his breast again, and this time he roared at it, scaring it away with his fury. He was so helpless! He couldn't save Ashei! But then another familiar power brushed his consciousness. It was calm, and gentle… but powerful. The Force. He could use it somehow. But… how?

His blue eyes spotted the Master Sword no less than a foot away from the Flare Dancer and Ashei. The violet blue light of the Flare Dancer's fire caught the holy sword's steel like starlight, drawing his attention. Yes, that! What should he do with it? Link panted, his brain quickly loosing its ability to keep him awake. He quickly decided to let the Force work through him instead of with him, and it grasped the Master Sword firmly, readying it.

Ashei, huddled beneath the waves of rolling heat the Flare Dancer gave off, was curled into a ball, wincing as she braced herself for death. But… it never came. Instead, the Flare Dancer groaned in surprise, having been pinned to the wall… with the Master Sword running straight through the black heart in its chest. Ashei immediately scrambled out from underneath the creature, the flames shorting out as the creature exploded with a loud, blood curdling scream, and the Master Sword clattered to the floor.

For a moment, Ashei simply stood there, staring, breathing, and blinking.

And then someone groaned. Her head turned, stray black hairs pinned to her skin with sweat and blood, feeling airy and lightheaded. She saw Link moving against the wall, still not quite unconscious. She attempted a gasp, but it came out as a sort of breathy whimper, and she ran over to him as fast as her body would allow.

Her mind was still working though, and she quickly forced part of a red potion down his throat, downing the rest herself. When she looked over at Obi-Wan, he didn't appear to be hurt, he was simply still passed out, though she gathered he'd have one hell of a headache when he woke up. Anakin was more or less the same, though his mouth was bloody from where it had hit the wall. It wouldn't be pleasant to walk around that way, but she figured he could deal with it until they got out of the Temple. It wasn't so pressing as her and Link's injuries, since they'd actually been the ones to fight.

By the time she'd finished working things out in her head, the potion had more or less finished its work on the two of them. Link was fully conscious again, if not terribly stiff, and most of his cuts were gone. Ashei, not having sustained quite as much damage as Link, was fully recovered minus the burning in her throat that told her she needed water.

"Hey… Link? Do you have any water in that bottomless pit you call a hat?"

He laughed, though he had to do it softly, since his own throat was burning too. "Yeah… I think so. Let me get it…"

Carefully, Link reached above his head and pried the hat off his sticky hair. The bright blond locks were now dulled with dust and blood like hers, except for where Link's hat had been, so it looked like he were some reversed form of a temple monk wearing a dusty tunic and battle gear instead of a set of robes. The sight was so hilarious, at least to Ashei, who could hardly contain her laughter. Link shot her a curious look.

"What? Is there something on my face?" At this, Ashei laughed even harder, unable to comprehend how she was able to do so. "Well… actually yes, you do… but that's not why I'm laughing." She giggled quietly to herself as the laughter faded and the chemicals laughter induced relaxed her sore muscles. "If only you had a mirror, Link." He smirked at her. "Oh, it's my hair, isn't it? Well, unfortunately I don't have a mirror, but I do have this…"

He held up the bottle of water. Ashei took it from him gratefully, taking a long swig of it before handing it back to Link, who did the same before returning it to his hat and replacing it back on his head.

"Do I look a little less hilarious now?" Ashei nodded. "Yes, much less." Link smiled at her, and she smiled back. Link was suddenly struck with the strangest feeling at her smile. It was a simple thing, her smile. But it made the world so much less… troublesome. Funny, she'd smiled at him before and it had never had this affect. Perhaps it was because this was a genuine smile and not one of her sarcastic smirks. Yes, perhaps that was it.

However, the tender moment was broken by two separate sets of moans and groans that broke the tense silence. Ashei broke her smile to scowl at Anakin, since she was for some reason furious at him for choosing to wake up just then, though she stopped herself and dismissed the notion.

"Ugh…" Obi-Wan groaned, pulling himself up and glancing around the room before locking his gaze with Ashei's, "that was… quite a hit there. Is the fight already over?" Ashei nodded. "Yep. You missed everything." She paused, glancing over at Anakin. "This lazy bum here did manage to get nice bloody mouth before _he_ passed out, though…" Anakin looked up at her with a half-hearted glare. "Hey, I do my best." Ashei simply smirked at him.

They helped each other stand as they regained their bearings, and went to search the room for their weapons. Link knew where his was instantly, for the Force had left a strange connection with the weapon's signature imprinted upon his mind. Anakin and Obi-Wan simply called for their weapons, having them leaping into their hands. Ashei's was sitting on the platform.

She scrambled up to it, but soon found herself rising up in the air, and she hastily jumped off before anything else happened. The four watched as the platform rose all the way up through a hole in the ceiling they hadn't noticed before, and then came back down.

"I'm guessing that's our way forward?" Anakin asked.

"I guess so…" Ashei nodded skeptically. So the four of them boarded the platform and rose up into the room above.

The first thing they noticed was the switch sitting on their right as they entered. Anakin groaned. "This is one of those rooms again, isn't it?" Turned out it was, but there was no getting around the fact except to deal with it, so Link set of a bomb near the switch and they all climbed up the fencing as fast as they possibly could before the fire turned back on. Though they were all exhausted from their ordeal with the Flare Dancer, they were able to reach the top in one piece, unscathed, and entered the next door available.

"Whoa. Now that's a hole I _really_ don't want to fall into," Ashei whistled.

"Yeah, I'd say," Link concurred. He looked up at a high ledge where a large treasure chest surrounded by a ring of flames sat between two torches.

"How many of your rupees do you want to bet that the hammer Darunia was talking about is in that chest there?" Link asked Ashei. Ashei 'hmphfed'. "All of them." Link sighed. "I thought so." Ashei glanced over at a nearby switch and jerked her head in its direction. "And how many do _you_ want to bet that's the switch you got to press to get rid of the fire?"

Link looked at the switch, then at the long and narrow pathway leading up around to the chest, and then back at the switch.

"All of them," he deadpanned.

Obi-Wan looked at the switch along with Link and Anakin. He smiled suddenly after a moment, a thought having occurred to him. "Hey, why don't you head up to the chest, and one of us will press the switch?" Anakin blinked, and then grinned. "Master, that's brilliant!"

Link thought it over, and then glanced at Ashei. "It'll definitely save me the trouble of running on _that_," – here he pointed at the narrow pathway – "while trying to keep tabs on how much time I have left while trying to preserve my life simultaneously." Ashei grinned back at him.

"It could work. Well, go on ahead!"

So Link ran ahead until he arrived at the chest. "Okay, go ahead!" he shouted. Obi-Wan pressed the switch, which indeed turned off the flames surrounding the chest. Link flipped the switch and opened the top, smiling when he saw what was inside. He removed the gleaming silver hammer from its confines, and jumped back down to rejoin his friends.

"So that's the Megaton Hammer…" Ashei breathed. "It's beautiful."

Link thought so too, but he didn't say so out loud. Instead, he simply used it to release a nearby platform to open up a way into a room below the floor, which looked plain at first sight, but once he used it again to push the strange decorated blocks out of the way of the door, they were able to proceed. They continued to do so through another room where Ashei picked off several Fire Keese with her bow while Link used the hammer to cause a chain reaction that created a set of stairs leading downward. Anakin picked up one of the nearby boxes and carried it down to a blue pressure switch that was waiting for them at the bottom. Anakin placed it on the switch to unlock the door that led that back the pillar room.

"Wait! Don't press that yet!" Link looked back at Ashei mid-swing.

"Why not?" Ashei jerked her head in the direction of the door behind them. "There's that Goron in the room behind us, remember?" She pointed to a rusted switch by her feet. "Use the hammer to press this down so we can go back and free him." Link nodded, remembering his promise, and did as Ashei asked, going back into the room to press the other rusted switch to free the Goron and obtain another silver key.

After that, Link was finally able to slam the hammer against the pillar and send it crashing down into the room below, hopefully creating a platform that would allow them to access the door to the boss.

"You're not seriously considering jumping down there… right?"

"Of course not, Ashei," Link deadpanned. "I'm not that stupid. Besides, we still need the boss key from the entrance room." Ashei nodded. "So let's head there then." After backtracking to the entrance of the Fire Temple, Link once again used the hammer to move the blocks in front of the locked door. Upon of opening it, there followed a string of monster filled rooms that simply required them to destroy everything to proceed. It was tedious, almost boring work, but the four of them were glad it wasn't any harder than that.

Upon finally pressing the switch that made the boss key available to them, the Goron that was trapped in the cell cried out with joy. "Are you here to help Big Brother?" Link nodded. "Oh, yes! Please help Big Brother!" And then he left to join the rest of the freed Gorons. "I believe that's the last of them," Link said as he pocketed the golden key.

"Good," Anakin muttered, "now let's go kill that dragon."

Suddenly brought back to reality as if the entirety of the temple had been nothing but a dream, Link's thoughts suddenly turned dark and quiet as they made their way to the boss door. Once in front of it, Ashei noticed his change in behavior and lightly touched his left arm with her hand.

"Hey. We're here for you. We've got your back."

Again she smiled up at him softly, and their closeness stirred that same feeling in Link's chest, like something was tickling the spot between his lungs. It was a good feeling to Link, but Obi-Wan felt a little awkward in that moment (Anakin being clueless and unaware of what Ashei was referring to) and more like a third wheel (or fourth wheel) instead of a fighting companion. He cleared his throat. "Ah, children? We have a dragon to slay."

Both Link and Ashei blushed, for different reasons, though you could hardly see it in the light from the lava.

Ashei was mentally berating herself for wanting to kiss her charge (before two Jedi nonetheless!) but at the same time disappointed that their moment was interrupted, and Link was not sure why. After all, he had no experience with this, and didn't know how to act on it… yet. He did seem to understand now that it wasn't just that smile that affected him, but the reason behind it, and the person smiling at him. But he shook his head, clearing it of those thoughts. Obi-Wan was right. While he wasn't going to enjoy killing his dear dragon friend, it had to be done.

"All right," Link said quietly. "Let's go."

Link was the first to enter the room, completely unaware of what to expect next. He'd gone through so many scenarios in his head; nothing could have prepared him for the fight that came next.

A bright flash of red light was the first thing (though Link later came to recall it to be a lighter form of lava) that sprayed all over their vision, leaving them momentarily blind while the door locked tight behind them. When Link was finally able to regain his sight, he stumbled back a little, tears springing to his eyes at the sight of it.

The tiny little dragon he'd cared for as a child was tiny no longer.

Now, it was enormous, long and skinny with rock-hard scales ridging all along its back. The familiar mane of fiery red-and-orange hair and dark onyx horns were present too, just longer and sharper. The wings had extended to span of what Link estimated was well over twenty feet, perhaps more, and not even half the length of the body itself. The sinewy forearms clawed at the air with long, gleaming talons as it breathed a torrent of flame into the air in challenge. It was absolutely beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

But one thing was not.

The eyes.

Volvagia's eyes _should_ have been a brilliant emerald green, with an intelligent glint hiding behind the irises. There no such glint now, and the color of what should have been brilliant green eyes was now a dull pastel, transparent, now fueled with the fire of black magic, and what Link could also sense as the Dark Side of the Force.

Now that was what really ticked him off.

"You can't have forgotten me!" he cried, tears falling freely from his face, "I told you I would come back!"

"_TOO LATE!_" it roared, "_YOU'RE TOO LATE!_"

"No!" Link cried.

And he was off, running towards the dragon at breakneck speed, his companions hot on his heels. The dragon beat its enormous wings and took off, spitting a thread of flame in their direction, but missing them as they swerved out of the way.

"Anakin, Obi-Wan!" Link shouted, "Can you deflect fire with your lightsabers?" Obi-Wan nodded.

"If we're careful! Do you want us to aim it at Volvagia?"

"If you can!" Link cried, dodging a low swipe at his head with the silver talons. He turned to Ashei. "Try to shoot it with your bow! I would suggest aiming for the wing joints!" It hurt Link's heart to give these orders, but he managed to remove himself from the pain enough to do so. Ashei nodded and got to work. Link pulled the hammer from a loop on his belt and readied himself for anything the dragon could possibly have in mind.

He was not sure how long they were there, only that time seemed to pass so quickly, and not fast enough at the same time.

It happened too quickly.

Ashei had shot multiple arrows into the great dragon's wing joints and by now it was visibly struggling to stay aloft.

"Keep at it!" Link ordered. His companions didn't need to be told twice, even Anakin who was unaware of Link's connection to the dragon but sensed why they were trying to keep Link as removed from the battle as possible. By now, the flames Anakin and Obi-Wan had managed to reflect back on the dragon had scorched several portions of its underbelly, making Volvagia extremely irritable. Finally, after another volley of fire and arrows, the dragon had had enough.

It roared, "_NOW YOU DIE, FLESHLINGS! FEEL THE WRATH OF MY FLAME AND CLAW!_" just before swooping in unexpectedly for a dive.

Breathing a forceful torrent of Greater Fire, it was all Anakin and Obi-Wan could do to simply hold back the heat and brace the force of it on their own, throwing them back into the hard soil of the great dragon's den. Ashei, defenseless, caught the full force of the dragon's large silver talons, managing to summon a Force shield to absorb most of the damage, though a good portion of her arms and chest were now soaked with the blood of several deep cuts in her flesh. Link had somehow managed to escape it all, and he was devastated at what he was seeing. Crying out with all his sorrow, anger and frustration, and looked deep into the dragon's filmy eyes as it turned back for another pass and screamed.

"Dammit, Volvagia! It's me! Link! Remember!"

Nothing. At least, there wasn't anything that Link _saw_. The Force felt it, but Link was too preoccupied with his next plan of action to notice. The dragon was flying for one last pass on its friend. Oh, it knew. It hated that it had to do this, hated that it had to say those hurtful things to his good friend…

And suddenly Link was jumping on his nose, spring boarding against it in a twisting half spiral, and the dragon's head became completely severed from its body, the body continuing to fly until it rammed into the wall and bounced back to land on the platform, limp. Dead.

The dragon's head was another matter. It fell, straight onto the platform, gasping its last breaths. Link was thrown with the force of his own momentum into the dirt, sobbing and crying uncontrollably now, but he got up, stumbling in a half blind run towards the decapitated head of his dear friend. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry…" was all he could say.

"_Li…nk…_" the dragon crooned with is last few breaths, "_don't… be…_"

There was a horrific cough, from which Link could not fathom the origin, but a cough nonetheless. He stared into the (at last) brilliant green eyes as they twinkled at him sadly in apology.

"_My… fault… not… yours… I'm… sorry. Love… you… Li…nk…"_

Volvagia gave Link a small, tender smile, closed his eyes, and was no more.

Link continued to sob, quietly, for a long time. Or at least, it seemed that way. He didn't quite know how time flowed anymore. With anything. It wasn't until a hand laid itself on his shoulder that his sense of time and feeling returned to him. It was of course, Ashei. There was no smile this time, but Link felt compelled to bring her closer anyway.

"Damn it all…" he murmured to himself, before pulling her bloody body down to his level and clinging to her for all he was worth as though she were the only thing tethering him to reality. She had been surprised when a gust of healing magic had swept through the temple and healed most of her cuts, and was not so surprised to see Anakin and Obi-Wan out cold again. But she was surprised to have her face pressed against Link's chest after he'd drug her down, feeling his erratic heartbeat against her cheek.

"Link," she whispered, "Link, I can't breathe…"

Immediately he relaxed his grasp but did not release it. At some point, she realized that he'd moved away, and was staring into her eyes. And she was staring back. They were close. His startling blue eyes were filled with tears. Big, innocent tears that made him more beautiful than she had ever perceived him to be.

But she stopped herself again. It didn't matter that she felt this way.

What did matter was that if she acted on whatever this was now, their friendship would be gone. Not right away, but it would be gone. Link needed to grieve, not to… whatever this was. Summoning all the strength she had, she pulled away from the mesmerizing gaze and sat up to take him into a hug of her own instead. She could hear Anakin and Obi-Wan stirring behind them. "Come on," she whispered, "let's get up."

Briefly, Link's eyes flickered to the dead body of the dragon before he allowed her to help him up slowly. He stood, dazed, but his wits seemed to be returning to him. She handed him his sword, which he took with a slight nod of his head and a quiet, "Thank you."

Anakin and Obi-Wan were getting up. Anakin could sense the atmosphere of the room and was mercifully quiet. Link looked around at his friends, at what they'd done, what they'd suffered for him. Volvagia had done much the same. He just hoped… that these friends didn't have to die. At least not in the way Volvagia had. No one should have to die that way.

His eyes flickered over to the circle of soft blue light.

"Let's go," he said finally. The others nodded and followed him into the light.

.oOo.

They appeared back the in Chamber of the Sages in the Sacred Realm, this time facing the seal of the Fire Temple. Another circle of glowing blue light formed upon it, and summoned a satisfied Goron with wild bristly hair and strong arms folded over his chest.

"Thank you, Brother," Darunia said to Link with a bitter smile, "I appreciate what you did for me, even though you did not want to do it…" Link sighed softly through his nose. "I'm your Sworn Brother, Darunia, I'm bound to my word for whatever you ask." Darunia's bitter smile became a little wider and slightly less bitter.

"Ah, I see. Well, you turned out to be a real man, just as I thought you would." He closed his eyes and his smiled faded to a thin, stern line. "It's funny… I never thought I'd be the Sage of Fire until today… never believed in destiny until today. I figured it would be someone else…" He opened his eyes and stared at the sparkling water.

"Someone more worthy…"

Link scoffed and stood up a little straighter. "Darunia, you're more worthy for this than anyone I know. Look, as long as it makes you happy to seal the evil that is Ganondorf, _that_ is all the proof you need of your worthiness."

Darunia looked up into Link's eyes. They were red and swollen from crying, but the blue fire in them still shone bright with conviction. Darunia smiled. "Thank you. Now take this Medallion then, and add the power of the fire spirits to your strength!"

Link nodded, and waited for it to come.

Darunia held out his hands and suddenly Link was holding the Fire Medallion in his. It glowed with a fierce light, and Link pressed its magic into his chest, gasping as the wildness of it flooded his senses almost to the point of blindness. He bent his head, breathing hard with a sense of strength and serenity filling him that he wasn't sure he deserved. But it was definitely there. And then… he laughed.

For some strange reason… Darunia's magic smelled like fried Cucco.

Then the world began to fade to white, and Link could hear Darunia's last words for him being cast out over the void.

"Don't forget… now you and I are true Brothers!"

"I won't," Link whispered, embracing the warmth of Death Mountain's Crater as he opened his eyes to look back and smile at his friends. "Where to next?" Anakin asked quietly. Link seemed almost surprised, as if he hadn't thought of where they'd go next. But then he sobered up and remembered.

"Zora's River. We go there next."

And so they set off back down the now peaceful mountain towards the village for a good night's rest before heading off for the river.

* * *

><p>You have no idea how completely exhausted I am right now. (This chapter is over 10,000 words!) Sheesh, at this rate, it'll be at least two years before this gets finished… or maybe not. Still, that was almost two months again… oh well. I suppose it was mostly because of all the development I put into this chapter. (30 pages worth… ack!)<p>

As you can tell, I took quite a bit of liberty with several parts of the Temple like completely removing the second battle with the Flare Dancer (and changing the Flare Dancer's appearance around quite a bit), giving Volvagia those wings (I did mention something about them in Chapter Six… or Seven) and his speech (which I also mentioned). He does speak in the manga, but all he says is Link's name. I just wanted a little something more here to give the ending of the fight a deeper meaning.

(Don't harp at me about the whole thing going on between Link and Ashei. That was planned from the start and I think I mentioned it at some point in a previous chapter also.)

Well, either way. I hope you enjoyed reading this latest installment of LoZ: The True Force, and I'll see you next time, peeps. Goodnight. Or good morning. Whatever. :)

- Hikari no Vikki


	17. Weight of Water: Ice Cavern

Chapter Seventeen: Weight of Water - The Ice Cavern

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><p>Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force<p>

Chapter: 17

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: I'm a poor college student. What makes you think I own this?

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

Umm… good lord. I… really… have nothing to say. I mean, I could explain, but… yeah. Tell you what, you read this first, and then I shall explain at the bottom, okay? :D

* * *

><p>They arrived back at Kakariko Village just before nine o'clock, still covered in blood, dirt, and sweat. Upon arriving back at Impa's house, Anju set herself on all three of the men right away and shoved them into one bathroom to remove their clothing and bathe after they'd all eaten some dinner.<p>

Link was most relieved once he entered the bathroom to see that there were curtains around the various bathing stations Impa had managed to have Anju procure for them, mostly because he still wasn't comfortable with his adult body yet (especially in front of other adults, male or not) and he preferred his privacy.

Ashei, however, was given a separate room and a much more luxurious bath with a porcelain tub and frothy bubbles that smelled faintly of lavender. She removed her clothing and slipped right into the warm water, sighing deeply as Anju walked in to pick up her soiled gear and clothing.

"Is everything to your liking, Lady Ashei?" Anju asked her politely.

Ashei frowned as she sat up in the water, bubbles clinging in just the right places on her slim chest. "I'm no lady Miss Anju, but yes, I do find everything to my liking." She paused, and then a soft, throaty chuckle bubbled up from her lungs. "It's strange, but I find the warm water to be such an exquisite pleasure even after being inside a volcano for a couple of hours."

Anju smiled. "Well, I'm glad you like it either way." She turned away to take the clothes and gear to be cleaned, but she paused before she crossed the threshold. Turning on her heels, she glanced back at Ashei to ask, "Would you like me to wash your hair for you? It won't get properly cleaned without a good brushing anyway."

Ashei lay back in the tub and glanced up in the direction of her hair, still bound in its buns and braids. While she could do it herself without help, having someone else do it would be a welcome adjustment to her usual bathing rituals, especially since she wouldn't have to _move_.

"Sure," she chirped softly, flashing a smile at Anju. Anju nodded and exited the room, leaving Ashei with just the bath and her thoughts.

Moments later, after Ashei had scrubbed the mixture of dirt and grime from her skin with the selection of fine soaps provided to her, Anju entered the bathroom again with another bucket of warm water and a soft brush with the head of a fine toothed comb molded to the opposite end, placing the brush on the smooth plane of the sink while she pulled up a stool to sit on.

As she was undoing the bindings of Ashei's hair, Anju leaned over Ashei slightly so as to glimpse the light of her half-lidded eyes when she spoke.

"So…" Anju began, "that young man, Link… he's quite handsome isn't he? It's hard to believe that little boy I leant my brother's shield to became such a fine warrior." Ashei's cheeks flushed slightly as she shifted her position in the water ever so slightly. "Yes… I suppose he is."

Anju chuckled softly while Ashei's long dark hair fell away from its bindings, spilling into the water of the large bucket.

"Such a handsome young man must appear to be quite fetching, I would think," she said as she poured water over Ashei's hair until it was soaked.

Ashei's eyes shifted slightly. "What makes you say that, Miss Anju? Are you trying to tell me something?" Anju chuckled. "I saw the way you were watching him as you stood waiting for your baths. You're quite taken with him, are you not?" Ashei was quite for some moments.

"I… almost kissed him inside the temple," she confessed, but quietly, as if she didn't really want to admit it.

Anju began drizzling a shampoo that smelled faintly of flowers onto Ashei's hair, scrubbing it into her scalp and threading it through her thick tresses. "Almost?" she asked softly, "Why didn't you follow through? Was it nerves?" Ashei wanted to shake her head, but then she remembered Anju's hands working through it methodically as they removed the tangles and knots.

"No, it wasn't nerves… it was… complicated." Ashei sighed. "Link just lost a friend by killing that dragon, a deed that he himself had to complete. I wasn't about to take advantage of his need to grieve to serve my own desires."

Ashei was quiet for a moment more before she continued with, "And he's my charge… it doesn't seem right."

Anju began rinsing the soap from Ashei's hair as she softly replied with, "That last bit sounds like an excuse to me." Ashei laughed quietly. "Yeah, I suppose so. There's just so much I don't know… I mean, he doesn't even know what a romantic relationship is, never mind how to go about starting one!" Ashei sighed.

"I'm not saying you should pursue that kind of relationship Lady Ashei," Anju murmured as she began drying Ashei's hair, "I just wanted you to be aware of the way you were watching him."

Ashei groaned, pressing her hands against her face, bubbles trailing in the wake of her flying fingers. "I can't help doing it now, can I?"

"It's nothing noticeable," Anju said, laughing, "I just wondered at the source of it and guessed correctly. There's nothing wrong with a little crush. Besides, perhaps one day you may yet have your affections reciprocated, you're still young after all."

The very idea of Anju's suggestion sparked an image in her mind of the two of them together in such a way that made her blood run hot, to which her body reacted by shivering in the now lukewarm water.

Anju noticed the shivers, and leaned over sideways to look at Ashei from her stool. "Would you like to get out and dress now? It will be much easier to brush your hair that way anyhow." Nodding her reply, Ashei gratefully took the large towel Anju offered her as she stepped from the bath to dress behind a screen in a pair of soft cotton breeches and an undershirt tailored to fit her while Anju emptied the bath of its water and bubbles. Ashei also put on a clean breast-band, for it hid the evidence of her wild thoughts rather well.

Once both tasks were complete, Anju sat Ashei on the stool she had been previously occupying while she took the comb side of her brush and ran it through to get rid of any remaining knots or tangles before taking the soft bristles and repeating the process.

"It's such a pity you keep all this bound," Anju sighed as she marveled at its softness, "it's so silky and light when clean."

"Well it would be worse if I didn't keep it bound," Ashei muttered, "and it would have probably been cut off at some point or something would have grabbed it to yank me backwards… there are any number of things. But I think I'll leave it unbound for tonight. Sometimes those bindings do get on my nerves a bit and it'll do me good to clear my head."

Anju nodded as she stood up. "I suppose you're right. Here are your bindings, so you can put it back up in the morning. I think that'll be all and your things will clean in the morning, so… I'll see you then. Good night, Lady Ashei."

Ashei took the clean bindings that Anju offered as she mumbled a 'goodnight' of her own in return and watched as she picked up the bucket and left the bathroom. Ashei stayed in the bathroom a moment to gather her thoughts before following Anju's footsteps out into the hallway. The lights dimmed all on their own as she left, and she quickly walked towards their sleeping area, eager to slip into a soft bed and let her body's aches and pains disappear into the bliss of sweet sleep.

Unfortunately in her haste, she appeared to have taken a wrong turn and she ended up nearly running into Link, who was also on his way to the place they'd been given to sleep.

Glad for the dim lighting of the hallway, Ashei's cheeks burned fiercely at the brush of Link's chest against her own. Like her, he was barefoot, and clad only in a nightshirt and a pair of breeches. The breeches were well tailored and the picture of obscurity, however the nightshirt was thin and left nothing to the imagination. While this had happened before when they'd been clad in tunics and armor, it hadn't been quite so stimulating for all the padding between them.

Now, Ashei caught the brief flash of a blush on Link's own cheeks, along with the most curious expression she'd ever seen. However it disappeared quickly as he backed away to give her the appropriate amount of space while clearing his throat.

"Forgive me, I didn't see where I was going," he whispered, as if conscious of the darkness and lack of other people around them. She noticed then that his hair was still wet, as it clung to his skin and dripped on his shirt.

"It was my fault," she admitted, "I took a wrong turn in my eagerness to sleep." She grinned at him, and Link again wondered at how such a little thing like her smile could lift his spirits so. Adamant, he shook his head while replying, "Well, it wasn't like I was watching my steps either."

Ashei pouted at him. "Nonsense. Anyway…" she paused, taking in a breath and also lowering her voice to a whisper, "how are you doing? Are you all right?"

Link blinked, and then a shadow passed over his gaze.

"I'm… dealing with it." He sighed, reaching up to run a hand through his hair, only to find it still wet. He looked almost surprised to find it that way, and it amused Ashei so much that she reached up with her own hand to thread her fingers through his hair and dry it with a quick spell muttered under her breath. It swiftly became as soft as her own under her touch, and she soon found herself absolutely mesmerized by the feather-like texture.

It was then Link really looked at Ashei, noticing for the first time that her hair was unbound, and exactly how different it made her look. While still relishing the gentle sensation of Ashei's fingers threading through his hair and wondering at the strange tightness it produced in the center of his chest, his mouth breathed a single word that was just loud enough to hear.

"Beautiful," he murmured, the word hanging gently in the air between them.

Ashei's fingers stopped moving once she registered the word itself, wondering exactly what he was referring to. After all, it couldn't be her… no.

The look in his eyes said otherwise, though. Their striking clarity glowed even in the dark, and the intensity of their emotion clawed at her very soul. However she quickly moved away and cleared her throat, the air between them becoming thick with awkward tension.

"I think we should get to bed, yes?" she muttered, staring at a spot on the floor that had quickly become very interesting. Link nodded dumbly and followed after her down the hall like a lost puppy, staring at her with wide eyes as if her hair could explain to him how to make sense of what he was feeling. He was still trying to figure it out once they walked into the room where they would be sleeping when Anakin and Obi-Wan looked up at their entrance.

"Oh, there you are," said Anakin with a smirk, "did you get lost or something?" Link, realizing Anakin had been talking to him, blinked for a moment before closing his eyes and chuckling softly while he shook his head in response.

"No, I was just taking my time. Ashei though," he added while nodding in her direction, "did get turned around somehow." He flashed her grin. "Still not quite sure how." He laughed as she scowled at him, and it was then she realized he'd already dispelled the earlier awkwardness from the hallway, just by saying a few words.

She shook her head and flashed him a smirk of her own before turning around to turn in, quickly burying herself beneath the covers to sink into the depths of a much desired and well-earned sleep.

.oOo.

Again, Link woke up much earlier than the dawn, padding along the interior of the house until he made it to the front porch where the bench sat, but he decided not to sit this morning.

He'd come to the front of the house to gather his thoughts in the cool morning air, which, he did note had the slightest chill upon it when coming from the south, which was odd. But he hadn't come to think about the weather. He hadn't even come to think about the loss of his beloved dragon friend.

Last night… _Ding!_

He looked up sharply upon hearing the familiar chime of a fairy's wing beat.

"Navi?" he asked the silent morning air. In response, a fluffy ball of white light appeared from the bushes below the porch railing to settle upon the flat of the railing itself as the light faded to reveal the blue-haired female fairy.

"You're up early, Link," she observed curiously. "Seeing as I know how you like to sleep." She laughed and stuck her tongue at him, to which he simply smiled softly and chuckled through the haze of post-sleep.

"I know you know Navi," he replied with a soft smile, "I was just… out here gathering my thoughts."

He sighed softly, the weight of it making Navi take notice.

"Really?" she murmured quietly, "Those sound like awful deep thoughts. What are they about?"

She expected him to brush her off right away, but he stared at her for a moment before deeply pressing his shoulder up against a nearby post, as though preparing for a long conversation. And indeed, it took him all of several minutes just to get his thoughts together before he said anything about it at all.

"Do you know what it is when a person feels like they can't breathe around another person? What it's like to see them smirk one moment and think nothing of it, but then you see them toss a genuine smile your way and suddenly the way you see them just… changes?" He would have gone on longer with it, but then he noticed Navi staring at him, and it made him quickly cut of the string of jumbled words that had tumbled from his mouth.

There was silence for a few moments before she looked away from his gaze just ever so slightly and softly muttered, "Oh, those kinds of thoughts."

Link frowned at her. "What? What kind of thoughts?"

Navi shrugged. "Fairies don't really get them so much for each other, but it happens sometimes. I think what you've been thinking about are thoughts of something called affection."

Still confused, Link's frown remained where it was as he tilted his head left.

"Affection…"

"Yeah," the fairy agreed, running a hand through her curls, "it's when you really like someone or something so much that whatever they do affects you in ways they didn't before. Does that… kind of sound like what you've been thinking about?"

Link paused to process what Navi had said, and the more he thought, the more it made sense. He still felt… really odd where the feelings were concerned, but he had more of a control over the intensity of the feelings now that he knew what they were. He nodded slowly as a response to her question, but he still felt so overwhelmed by the past few days that he had to tell his friend about it at the very least.

"Anyone would, really," she said to him once he'd finished pouring out his frustrations. "I mean, all that you're really experiencing is like the back end of puberty. Didn't Ashei explain it to you?"

Link scoffed. "Yeah, sort of. She dragged me off to the library the first night we were here so she could educate me on how my adult body… works. But there's just no way you can really… explain it. When you're experiencing those kinds of things, it's so much different, that… ugh." He pressed his face against the wood of the post and closed his eyes.

"Well, if it's so overwhelming, would you go back to give it up? Just put the Master Sword away after all this is over and…"

Link's eyes opened and he glared at her gently as he leaned his head away from the post.

"And grow up through those seven years all over again just to experience this for a second time?" He shook his head in disgust. "No. Just… no. Once is enough, thank you." At that, Navi had to laugh, which made the whole conversation a bit easier to transition away from.

"So what's the plan after this?" Navi asked Link after she'd finished.

"Yeah, what is the plan?" Another voice followed. Link had been listening for the steps as they'd come down the main hallway, so he hadn't been surprised to hear the voice of the other person as Navi had. Surprised to hear it, though, Navi almost fell back into the bushes she'd come from before she recovered.

Link smiled at her for a moment before turning back to Obi-Wan. After all, neither Ashei nor Anakin were morning people as far as he knew.

"Like I said yesterday, we head for Zora's River."

He turned back to face the frigid south wind and frowned, still troubled.

"The wind coming from the south carries a chill to it that it shouldn't this time of year, being the middle of summer after all. It worries me."

Obi-Wan nodded. "I've felt it as well. It was what woke me this morning as the winds came through the house, or I would have slept longer. Say, what time is it?" Link shrugged. "Dunno. My watch is in one of my gauntlets, which are somewhere in the house. Shouldn't be any later than seven though I suppose. Or perhaps six-thirty." He turned to the sun to gauge the time.

"I'd say the former."

Obi-Wan nodded as he settled on the bench again to watch the rising sun while Link watched from his position against the post.

"How are we getting there, do you know?" Obi-Wan asked after a while. Link frowned and folded his arms across his chest. "As much as I'd like to get some horses and ride there, Lon Lon Ranch is a bit out of our way…" He sighed, reaching up with one of his hands to stroke his chin.

"The better option would be to rent one of the gondola speeders from the shack down by the river but… I don't know who owns them."

It was quiet for some time after that until Link could hear the stirrings of a waking Anju deep within the house. He leaned away from the wall and nodded in the direction of the door to Obi-Wan, and Navi followed the two of them as they went inside.

"Your things are next to your beds," Anju said to them as they walked back to their sleeping area, "and Lady Impa requests that you eat breakfast before you go, all right?" They nodded in response and continued to their room.

Ashei was already up and binding her hair once they entered, and Anakin was still out, sleeping like the dead with his head under a pillow and one leg sticking out from underneath the covers with his bare foot touching the floor. Link grinned, nodding to Obi-Wan as he found his green hat sitting next to his bed and pulled the Cucco from inside it.

He set it next to Anakin's bed as it began to wake from its own sleep, stirring ever so slightly as it noticed that the sun had risen and morning had come.

And then came the cursing.

Link smiled smugly to himself as Anakin fell from the bed, tangled in his blankets, while Link put away the Cucco before he could escape. Anakin was none the wiser of the deed, although he was more surly than usual.

"Damn chicken…" he muttered as he slunk off to the bathroom. Ashei giggled, which made Link's heart skip half a beat despite everything.

Once they were all dressed and geared up in clean clothes and such, all four travelers plus one fairy made their way to the dining room where Anju had just finished laying out the breakfast foods and plates. As they came in she took her place on the left side of Impa, who had been waiting for them since she'd heard the Cucco herald the coming of the new day.

She was much more serious and reserved than the last time they had met, speaking to them in steady, quiet tones and appearing deep in thought about something as the conversed.

"Impa," Link began as they were nearing the end of their meal, "I'd like to ask you about the shack near the river. The one next to the bridge leading into the forest? Who owns it?" Impa glanced in Link's direction and nodded slightly. "That would be Orca and Sturgeon. Orca owns the shack, though Sturgeon owns the speeders…. However, Sturgeon _does _owe me a favor…"

"Why, if I may ask?" Ashei prodded as Impa mused for a solution to their problem. She shifted her attention to Ashei and a wily smile spread across her lips. "The stingy old trout owes me a favor because once I saved his life. Here, wait a moment and I'll get you the memo that will let you pry a speeder off of his hands for a few days…"

She excused herself from the table and went to fetch a portable holochart from a nearby desk and handed it to Link, who was the closest. It was a silver cylinder with a visible white line across one section of its length, while the two ends of the cylinder were topped with thin black caps. Set in one of the black caps and parallel to the white line was a red button that when pressed, would allow for one to view the data stored inside.

"Present that to him, and he'll quickly let you take a speeder upriver for a few days," she told Link seriously as he stored it inside his hat, and he nodded seriously in return.

After they were finished eating, Impa accompanied them outside until they stood in the main thoroughfare underneath the sign.

"Be careful out there," she said to them as they thanked her for her hospitality, "but I expect you already know that." She flashed them a halfhearted grin which only Link and Ashei seemed to notice lacked her usual strength, and then she turned away from their group to stare down the length of the road towards the well that lay at the end of it, her expression hardening with worry.

Link had a sinking feeling this would be the last time they would see Impa for a very long time.

However, they were already on their way down the stairs that had been cut into the mountain that led to the river path and the bridge leading into the forest. Right next to the bridge was a large shack with a thatched roof and faded, once bright colors painted upon the outside wall and it coverings, where several sleek gondola speeders that appeared wooden at first glance lay tethered in the slow moving water of this side of the upper river.

Ashei volunteered to knock on the door, but then one of the two available doors opened and a thin man with a balding head, stringy white hair and beard came tottering out. He wore no shirt, and this exposed his wiry, muscled frame, yet he had also thankfully donned a pair of worn purple pants and a red sash around his waist. He carried a spear in his right hand and once he noticed them he stared in their direction with hard silver eyes that suggested an intelligence one wouldn't have expected from the strange man.

"Whom would you be, exiting from the village at such an early hour?" the man asked them, the grip on his spear tightening slightly at the sight of their battle gear and weapons.

"My name is Ashei," Ashei offered, but didn't approach further for risk of unsettling the man anymore than was necessary, "and my companions are Link, Anakin, and Obi-Wan." She gestured to each person respectively. "We came here to rent a speeder so we could head downriver without passing through the forest."

The man frowned. "You would be wanting my brother, then. I'll go get him, you just wait here."

"You would be Orca, I assume?" Ashei asked hesitantly. The man nodded.

"Forgive my rudeness, but though I may live with my brother in this shack, it does not mean I like living with him, and it makes me irritable. You'll see why in a moment…"

And with that he turned back inside and came out with another, smaller old man who was entirely bald and sported a long white beard, wore a dark blue robe tied with a light blue sash, and carried what appeared to be a tall wooden walking stick.

"Ah! Customers? My, this is a rare occasion, especially so early." He glanced back at his brother. "Brother, do make yourself useful and fetch them a tacking pole and some rope. Go on, now."

Orca frowned at his brother before turning to do as he was asked.

The man turned back around to look at them, and they obviously had to assume that this was Orca's brother Sturgeon, who actually owned the speeder service they were looking to use. Ashei could tell immediately that the man was brilliant in the way that self-absorbed people are, and he either insulted his brother out of habit, because he liked it, or because he didn't know he was doing it. She wasn't sure how all three could be possible, but if they were, this man would be all of them.

"Now, let's discuss a method of payment, shall we? Usually I just keep something of value like a chain or a pendant as collateral, so…" His beady little eyes found the bright green gems that were pinned to Ashei's ears and he smiled greedily. "Those earrings will do," he said sweetly.

Ashei's stomach dropped to her feet and her face paled. Beside her, Link noticed this and anger churned in his stomach but he carefully kept a lid on it as he pulled off his hat and rummaged around in it before taking out the cylindrical memo that Impa had given them.

"I think not, sir. Those are not to be bargained with. This might do, though."

He handed the memo to Sturgeon, who took it just as Orca walked out with the tacking pole and rope he'd gone to fetch. He eyed the memo curiously as Sturgeon pressed the button to read its contents, and shortly his face began to lose its glee, slowly begin to pale and finally sink into a faint form of shock. He blinked at it and it was just then that Orca realized exactly what it was he was reading and was standing beside Sturgeon – still holding the materials – with a smug grin sitting idly on his lips.

"Trouble negotiating a form of payment, brother?" he asked Sturgeon in a smooth voice, to which Sturgeon turned a glare on his brother and replied with a shaken, halfhearted, "Shut up…" before turning back to their group.

Finally he sighed and pressed the button to turn off the memo.

"Seems Impa's calling in the debt I owe her… well, I can't argue with that. How… how long do you need transportation?"

"As long as we need it," Link replied coolly. Sturgeon frowned.

"Well, if Impa sent you then I have no choice but to trust her judgment that you'll bring it back safe and sound. It's not easy to maintain these, you know." Ashei nodded. "Sure, we'll do that. Just… explain how the tacking thing works, please?"

Sturgeon stared at her, then back at the memo, his brother, and the memo again. Finally he shook his head and turned away, yelling over his shoulder at Orca, "_You_ explain it!" as he went back inside, the door slamming shut.

Orca chuckled softly at his brother's reaction to the memo.

"Now you see why I am often so irritated, yes?"

Link breathed sharply through his nose. "I think anyone would be," he deadpanned. Orca shook his head and smiled, coming around the bridge to show them how the tacking pole worked.

"Just slam it into the ground, preferably with a hammer or something like the one you have there," he said, referring to the Megaton Hammer on Link's belt, "tie the rope to the boat as tight as you can with whatever means necessary, and tie the other end to the pole. Make sure it goes through the loop at least once. Don't worry, I brought you the good rope that won't cut for anything…" He eyed the Jedi's lightsabers. "Except perhaps for those."

Anakin and Obi-Wan pulled their robes tighter.

"No, it's all right. I won't breathe a word. Though I might mention it to my brother… heh." He laughed under his breath and helped them set up the rope and get into the speeder.

"Who's driving?"

"Me!" volunteered Anakin with enough force to make everyone wince.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan gently urged, "I don't think you should–" "–and do _you_ know how to drive a gondola speeder?" Obi-Wan had to admit that he did not. "Then _I'm_ driving, unless…" He looked back at Link and Ashei. Link just shot him one of those 'what do you think' looks while Ashei shook her head.

Anakin looked back at Obi-Wan.

"So there. I'm driving."

Ashei chuckled softly. "Just remember to take the a left when we make it to the fork. The right path just leads to Kokiri Forest." Anakin nodded. "Yeah, sure." He looked back at Orca. "Thanks for everything! Go and torture that messed up brother of yours for us."

Orca grinned. "You bet I will."

And with that, they were off.

It wasn't as bad as either of them expected once Anakin flipped the gravity switch to get the speeder going, and was actually quite relaxing. The trees that had grown around the river provided enough shade from the early morning sun so that the heat was more than tolerable and made the sounds of the river echo in their ears. Navi even came out from underneath Link's hat to perch on the edge of the boat and enjoy the ride.

After turning around the left side of the fork, Ashei told Anakin to slow down and flip the gravity switch where the left hand bank sloped down enough for them to climb up, which he actually did according to her instructions. Link climbed out first to set up the tacking pole and Anakin helped him attach it to the boat. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan and Ashei stood at the shore, and Obi-Wan noticed that Ashei was frowning at the water curiously.

"What is it, Ashei?" he asked quietly, "Is there something wrong with the water?" She looked at him briefly and then back at the water, still frowning.

"There should be fish here," she murmured quietly.

Anakin and Link, finished with securing the boat to the bank of the river, came over to see what see was staring at when both of them heard what Ashei had said. Blood running as cold as the air that now spun from the north down the river's canyon-like valleys, he knew she was right. There _should_ be fish here, and there was not a single one in sight.

"Not even any Octoroks," he observed, as they slowly made their way upriver.

The cold began to increase, forcing Link to pull two woolen cloaks from his hat (courtesy of Impa) and give one to Ashei as they progressed, pulling the other around himself. Anakin and Obi-Wan wrapped their own cloaks tighter as well. When they crossed the last bridge and arrived at the huge waterfall that concealed the entrance to Zora's Domain, Ashei stopped them to point out something that was falling from the top of the falls above them.

"It's… snow. Look!"

And indeed it was snow, frothing over the waterfall in soft, powdery flakes, they weren't very substantial enough to clump anywhere for the summer's heat kept them from doing so, thus they melted wherever the managed to land.

"You did say it was… summer… right, Link?" Obi-Wan said slowly. Link nodded and replied in a similar fashion. "Yeah… I did."

They climbed the ledges up to the very top where the emblem of the royal family still blazed a familiar bright gold, the writing on it a little more legible this time around now that he recognized more of the characters.

"What does it say?" Anakin asked, curious.

"Something about the royal family's messenger providing proof to enter, I think…" Ashei muttered, squinting at the words. Link nodded and pulled his Ocarina from his hat. "Yeah," he replied, "something to that effect." Then he pressed the Ocarina to his lips and began playing the familiar tune of Zelda's Lullaby, again playing it twice over to make sure he'd gotten it right.

And just like that, the waterfall opened for him once again.

He turned to his dumbstruck traveling companions with a grin. "Come on, now. It won't stay open forever." And with that he jumped across the gap and into Zora's Domain…

…only to have blast of frigid air hit him smack in the face as he entered, the force of it making his teeth chatter.

What… on earth…?

"Link? Link? Are you okay?"

Link blinked, shaking his head to rid his memory of the images. He closed his eyes and held a hand over them, groaning softly. "I… It's still frozen, isn't it?" Ashei stared at him, concerned for her friend, but then she looked back at the white expanse before him and nodded even though he couldn't see,

"Yeah… it is."

Link removed his hand and opened his eyes but still couldn't believe what he was seeing. "No. No. Just… no. Ugh." Navi fluttered from his hat to perch on his right shoulder and pat him gently.

Ashei walked over to the side of the slope and looked across the frozen cavern. "It wasn't… always like this I take it?" Link was still too shocked to even try to shoot her a look. "Of course not, Ashei. It was… oh… no… Nayru's… ugh." Link had gone to join her by the edge but then made the mistake of looking down into the ice that now covered the bottom of the cavern. Inside were dozens of frozen Zoras, their bodies poised in various positions beneath the surface.

Beyond the horror that was the bottom of the cavern, the inner waterfall that had been fed from the King's Room was now completely frozen over and Link really didn't fancy jumping off of it to play any mini-games now…

"What was it like?" Ashei asked him softly in an attempt to gather his attention. He stared at her, blinking, before he looked out across the ice.

"Water. Everywhere. Just imagine it, Ashei. The waterfall flowing into the cavern with all of the Zoras swimming and talking and laughing…" His eyes locked on a spot below the ice where a small entrance could be seen. "And there… that leads to Lake Hylia… or at least it _did_… Din knows what's happened to the lake now that there's no more water feeding into it…"

He shook his head. "I'll bet the shop down below is frozen over as well…"

Anakin was walking back up from his exploration of the cavern and he nodded as Link had turned his gaze to him.

"It's got this strange red ice over it, too. It doesn't look right, and my lightsaber wouldn't cut it…" he held it out, frowning at it. Ashei frowned as well, but not over his lightsaber. "Red ice? Sometimes speeders here in Hylia get it where they've been overworked. You would need blue fire to melt that… not just any regular flame will do."

She looked up in the direction of the King's Room.

"Auru told me once that there was a cavern beyond Zora's Domain where blue fire exists naturally, and is actually where the stuff first came from. It's not like that expensive synthetic junk the potion shops try to sell to people; it's the real thing. Maybe, if we find it, we can open up the shop to see if there's still anyone alive inside."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Sounds like a plan. How do we get to the King's Room?"

Link waved a hand to them but paused. What if something had happened to King Zora? Princess Ruto? Or Lord Jabu-Jabu? Not that he really missed either of them much (Lord Jabu-Jabu specifically), but still…

Ashei put a hand to the shoulder that Navi wasn't currently occupying which sent a warm shot of that affectionate feeling straight through his chest.

"I'll go first if you want me too. So I can warn you about… anything."

Link nodded. "Yeah. Sure…"

So Ashei went up first, and Link waited with Anakin and Obi-Wan while she turned the corner to preview the contents of the room. When she did come back, she was pale despite the layers of her clothing and cloak, and she met Link's gaze shakily, her lips trembling with words she didn't want to say.

"Is the big… fish person… King Zora?" she asked him slowly.

Link nodded in kind. "Yes… what's… happened to him?"

She blinked, her eyes tight and fearful. "He's… frozen as well. In red ice."

Link closed his eyes. "Thank you for the warning." Ashei shivered and shook herself. "Yeah… you're welcome." Link looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry I…" Ashei waved him away before he could continue. "It had to be done. Come on, let's go. There's still a way around him into the Fountain."

Din's Fire. He'd forgotten about Zora's Fountain.

Of course, the large frozen form of King Zora still disturbed him to a point, particularly since the horde of frozen Zoras beneath the ice in the Domain's central chamber had had such a profound effect on him. They moved quietly through the passage between the iron gates behind the king's motionless bulk, though the waves of cold rolling off the ice made them shiver violently as they passed into the Fountain beyond.

Ashei was the first of them to make it around the bend into Zora's Fountain, the frigid water lapping around the edges of their boots. She paused there, frowning, and after a few moments she muttered to the rest of her companions, "This might be why there aren't any fish in the river anymore… at least if the state of the Domain itself hasn't had any effect on it."

When Link and the others rounded the corner into Zora's Fountain, the silent whiteness of the area floored them of almost all thought and function.

Navi even fluttered from underneath Link's hat to stare upon his shoulder.

The area was still mostly devoid of frozen water, though the longer they stood staring, the more the icy chill sunk into their feet beneath their boots. However sunlight did glare upon a collection of ice floes that had formed beyond what was once Lord Jabu-Jabu's altar, and the aforementioned former Zora deity was also nowhere to be found despite the large stone-esque formation that was shaped somewhat suspiciously like the large fish had been.

Finally Link took in a deep breath and sighed.

"Well, we're not getting anywhere by just standing here," he whispered, his breath now forming puffs of air before him, "where's this Ice Cavern you talked about, Ashei?"

Ashei glanced aside at him for a moment and shrugged before she turned back to survey the area. It took her a few moments, but a large dark indent on the far left wall beyond the ice floes caught her attention, and she pointed to it. "There, I think. It's the only place it could be other than down that way…" she glanced off to her right, to which Link shook his head.

"No, there's only a Great Fairy's Fountain down that way. This other cave must be what we're looking for."

"How do we get across, though?" Obi-Wan mused. "Those ice floes look pretty unstable…"

Link shrugged. "It doesn't seem like we have a choice." Then a spot of movement caught his eye and he sighed, exasperated. "There's Octoroks in the water too, so either bring out your blasters or deflect the projectiles they shoot with your lightsaber… Ugh, I really don't want to deal with those things right now."

"So move quickly," Anakin suggested.

"On those little tiny platforms?" Ashei retorted incredulously, "Unless you want an ice-water bath, I don't think so. You'd better go carefully or you're _going_ to fall into that water, and don't blame me if you catch a cold."

Anakin knelt to touch the frigid liquid with his index and middle fingers, leaping back up and shuddering as he did so.

"Force, that's _kriffing_ cold! Yeah… I think I'll pass on the whole going quickly thing…"

And so, while he quickly muttered an apology for his cursing (something which Obi-Wan noticed was happening more often since their arrival) the four travelers and one blue fairy made their way across the ice floes, all the while dealing with the Octoroks along their path. Once they made it across to the ledge leading into the cavern, the four of them stopped to take a breath before continuing.

"I wonder what's causing all this ice to form," Ashei mused, "there must be a reason for it, because I don't think whatever's causing it is in this cavern here…" Link nodded in agreement. "Right. That's not the feeling I'm getting from this place, do you agree?" He glanced over at Anakin and Obi-Wan, who nodded. "I think you're right about that, Link," Obi-Wan muttered.

They proceeded to enter the cavern moments later, the path beneath them turning from cold dirt to chilly snow and ice, with stalagmites and stalactites hanging and protruding from various places about them.

"Be very careful where you step," Ashei warned, "any one of the ones on the roof could break and fall at the slightest shift in – Anakin, watch out!"

Above Anakin's head, a stalactite twitched with an audible creaking sound, breaking off in a split second and diving quickly from the ceiling to the ground and shattering there into little tiny pieces where Anakin had been standing only moments before. Now he was pinned to the wall where he'd thrown himself on a whim, staring at the pieces of broken ice with wide eyes.

Link blinked at the scene while Ashei turned around to stare curiously.

"You jumped even before I warned you about the stalactite," she began slowly, "how did you know it was going to fall?"

Anakin, still not having moved from the wall, still stared at the shards of ice. "I didn't," he said slowly. "I just… sensed that I was in danger and that I had to move quickly." He frowned, and then something began to dawn on him then. "Master, do you think it was…"

"It was most certainly the Force that warned you, Padawan," Obi-Wan said with a slight smile. "Your sensitivity is getting better."

Anakin moved away from the wall then, and they began to progress further through the cave. "If the Force can warn me of little things like that now," he muttered in awe, "I wonder what it might do for me later on in life…" Obi-Wan shrugged as they began to approach the first open room of the cavern. "Who knows? You just have to be patient and keep at it."

Link stopped them before they entered the room and pointed out the things that stood in its center.

"Ashei? Do you know what those are?"

She put a hand to his shoulder and looked over so she could see, the feeling of pressure striking a bolt of warmth in his chest.

"Hmm… Freezards, I think. Pretty nasty ones, too." She pointed out one that was almost invisible behind the three more visible ones in the middle. "Especially that one. They like to appear out of thin air to surprise you and freeze you in order to gnaw on your flesh. Not sure why they do this since like ReDeads they don't appear to need food, but… that's what they do."

"And you just hit them enough times until they shatter?"

Ashei nodded. "Fire or some source of heat is preferred, though, since it's faster." She looked back at Anakin and Obi-Wan. "Your lightsabers would be better for this, so why don't you two go in first, okay?"

The two of them nodded.

"Will do," Anakin said shortly, and they went in and began attacking the ones farthest from the door while Link and Ashei took care of the ones that were closest to the door.

Plowing further into the cavern, the next larger room they came across contained a large spinning ice cleaver of death with two bulky blades of ice. Silver rupees were littered throughout the room, and a counter-box next to a door rested on a nearby platform that sat beneath a silver rupee symbol etched into the ice.

"Looks like we have to collect all the rupees and put them into the box if we're going to proceed any further," Link speculated, eyeing the spinning spiral of death, "without getting sliced by that."

Ashei grunted, straight-faced. "Wonderful. So… who wants to volunteer?"

Navi once again appeared from out of Link's hat in order to make her presence known. "I can do it!" She chirped, holding out a hand for Link's wallet. "I'm stronger than I look, trust me!" Link, remembering the first day they'd been together when they were collecting rupees in order to buy the Deku Shield, decided to let her attempt it,

"She's right," he informed his companions. "Personally, out of all of us here, she's the best one equipped for this." They watched her fly straight underneath the spinning ice cleaver, collecting the rupees as she went, and she was easily able to reach the one silver rupee that spun in the air above the cleaver, all the while clutching the wallet than was more than twice her size with hardly any extra effort on her part.

"How does she do that?" Anakin wondered.

"Fairy strength, I guess," Link answered, shrugging. "I can't say for sure."

After all the rupees were collected, Link praised his fairy companion for her bravery and thanked her for the service, to which she blushed and hid in his hat again. They carefully made their way around the ice cleaver in order to reach the higher ledge, and deposited the rupees so they could progress.

After a brief encounter with another Freezard, they came to enter the largest room of the cavern that they'd found thus far.

"Wow, there's a lot going on here," Obi-Wan observed, "What do we start with first?"

In response to his question, Ashei pulled her bow from her back and began notching multiple arrows in the catches.

"Those Ice Keese, for one. Like the Freezards, they'll freeze a part of you solid if they come into contact with you, and you don't want that to happen. Why don't you and Anakin take care of the Freezards on the bottom floor while Link and I work on the Keese?" The two Jedi nodded and they proceeded to clear the room of its most apparent threats first before focusing on anything else.

After destroying all immediate threats, they began climbing up the narrow pathways above the ice floor. The two Jedi went first so as to dispatch the Freezards on the way, until eventually they all reached a long platform leading in one direction to a chest covered in red ice and another that led to a large silver dais where a silver-blue flame licked happily at the surrounding air. Strangely, it gave off no heat, but Ashei was certain that if she touched it without gloves, it would certainly burn her.

"So this is natural blue fire?" Link asked as he approached. Ashei nodded slowly. "Yeah, pretty sure. It does certainly look a lot different than the synthetic stuff." She pointed at the bottom of the bowl. "And it doesn't appear to need any kind of fuel to keep it going, either. The synthetic fire does, which is why it's so expensive. Granted, the natural stuff was expensive too when they sold it, but not _that_ expensive…"

Link nodded, and he began pulling out bottles from his hat so that they could take some with them. "Three bottles will do, I think. One for that chest and an extra portion, one for King Zora, and another for the shop entrance, right?" Anakin nodded. "Sounds about right," he agreed.

So Link carefully scooped bits of the fire into the bottles, using one bottle to melt the nearby red ice that covered the chest. As it fell from the bottle, it flowed in mesmerizing patterns of blue, silver, and violet as the red ice dripped away into nothing. Link quickly flipped the iron latch on the chest and procured the item inside.

"A map?" Obi-Wan wondered, "Why would we need a map?"

Link hummed quietly as he unrolled it. "I was wondering that as well, since we have what we came for…" He looked across the small sketch of the single floor cave, until two passageways marked caught his attention. He pointed them out to Ashei who was closest to him as he spoke.

"Look here. In the room with the spinning ice? There's two other passageways marked there. One leads to a room with more fire, but the other leads to several more rooms and…" here he had to squint to read the tiny, spidery scrawl, "contains what appears to be something called Iron Bracelets."

Ashei took the map and hummed over it as well. "There might be passageways that you have to melt open with the blue fire. I thought some of the walls looked funny…" She rolled up the map and handed it back to Link. "Since we have no other choice, we should go back, but I'd like to investigate that path with those Iron Bracelets. It could be useful if they've got some sort of function attached to them."

So it was agreed that was the path they would go on, and they backtracked towards the side of the room that was indeed blocked off by a lesser version of the red ice. Once melted, it allowed them to progress down a treacherous path with boulders falling from the ceiling and more sharp stalagmites and stalactites to avoid, until they came out into a large room with pits, ice blocks, Ice Keese, and several silver rupees.

"First things, first," said Ashei as she pulled her bow from her back again at the same time Link did, "let's take care of the Keese."

They made short work of them then.

Navi floated once more from Link's hat at the mention of silver rupees, and Link handed her his wallet so she could go collect them. "You figure out how those ice blocks work," so told them after she took the wallet from Link's offered hand, "so you can get out of here faster."

After surveying the area while Navi went to collect the rupees, they were quickly able to move the block into the correct position under the door they needed. However, when they saw that Navi was coming back without all of the rupees, Link shot her a questioning look. The drawstrings of the wallet were strung across her shoulder, and she held out a tiny white hand with a half pleading, half exasperated expression on her face.

"I need one of your bottles of blue fire," she grumbled, "and there's a thing right over there so I can refill it for you…"

"Or you can just take the spare," Link offered, shrugging. "You don't need to refill it." She took it gladly, a small smile gracing her petite face as she flew off to retrieve the last silver rupee that would unlock the door. She did refill it for him though, just to be safe, and they climbed up the block and into the final stretch through more ice, snow, and Freezards. Upon coming to a final barricade of red ice, Link thanked the goddesses for Navi's foresight and melted them so that they could reach the room they had come to investigate.

The ice door lifted and slammed down behind them loudly as they entered, however some sort of trap had been triggered at their entrance because bars lifted from the floor to cover the door, and two large White Wolfos materialized from the snow-covered floor before them. They hardly had any time at all to admire the pretty crystals that covered the walls, or the way the iridescent light they gave off colored the rest of the room with brilliant bright blues and vibrant violets.

All they could do was divide up into teams of two in order to take down the monsters before them, Link and Ashei on one team, and Obi-Wan and Anakin on the other. With the two Jedi, Link could coordinate his moves to match theirs easily enough if he listened to the rhythm of the Force that moved through his body and his blade, but with Ashei, there was something else.

They didn't need to speak as they fought; it was all just whirling clothes and clashing blades. Ashei seemed to feel it as well, for when the Wolfos fell in a long keening cry beneath the cage of it stinking fur and yellow blood, they locked eyes with each other as the body burned away and the synergy between them sent shivers down their spines.

A whirl of energy signaled the appearance of a chest as Obi-Wan and Anakin finished off the other Wolfos.

Link turned to it as the bars in front of the door disappeared, and he opened it to find a collection of four Iron Bracelets, each one coming with a set of instructions on how to use them.

However, before either of them could examine said instructions further, a flash of energy passed through the air around them and they all turned to the door to find Sheik leaning against the wall by the door. "Ah, we meet again," he said smoothly in a light, low voice, his single ruby eye glinting in the light of the crystals that surrounded them.

"I was hoping to find you here…"

Link frowned, studying the Sheikah. "And why is that?"

Sheik sighed flippantly. "The Zoras, of course. By now you've seen that they are sealed underneath the sheets of ice… what you see here is all there is. I did managed to rescue the Zora Princess from beneath the ice, but she is no longer here…"

"Princess Ruto!" Link gasped, "Where is she?"

"She went to the Water Temple beneath the surface of Lake Hylia," Sheik answered him smoothly, stepping away from the wall and approaching them slowly, "in order to deal with what's causing the excessive formation of ice."

"And that is…?" Ashei queried, prodding Sheik to continue.

Beneath his cowl, the slightest hint of a smile formed.

"This ice is created by an evil curse. The monster that currently lies inside the Water Temple is the source of it, and unless you shut off the source, the ice will never melt. And… the reason I hoped to find you here is because it is a long walk from the river to the lake, and again I mention that you cannot waste your precious time… so I am here to teach you the warping song that will transport you straight there, if you are willing to learn it."

Link had already begun pulling out his Ocarina while Sheik spoke, and he chuckled quietly.

"Time passes," he muttered, "people move. Like a river's flow, it never ends. A childish mind will become noble ambition, while young love will become deep affection…"

Link's heart stopped. There was that word again. Affection. What…?

"The clear water's surface reflects growth… now listen to the Serenade of Water to reflect upon yourself…" The smile beneath Sheik's cowl grew, and Ashei noticed the movement beneath the fabric as Sheik pulled his harp from the folds of his clothing, no matter that no one could fathom where he managed to hide it for all the obscurity his clothing provided.

But Sheik's fingers were already moving deftly across the instrument and eventually the smooth, sensual notes stirred the air around them as Link joined in with the melody to Sheik's performed harmony.

The music made Ashei's head spin and her eyes tear at the sound of the music, and suddenly she felt very tired… and then the music faded. Her attention snapped back to Link, and then Sheik again. "I will see you again…" Sheik murmured quietly, "Soon…very soon." And with that, he threw down another Deku Nut and was gone from their sight.

It was some moments before anyone spoke. Link turned to his companions and nodded to each of them in return.

"We should return to Zora's Domain, first. We need to free King Zora and see if there's still anyone alive in the shop."

Ashei nodded. "Right, let's go." And so they did.

* * *

><p>Yeah…. I don't write for over half a year and then I produce THIS. Just believe me when I say I didn't really mean to, but I sort of wrote a novel during the interim, and I'm trying to get people to read it. So… yeah.<p>

There was also a summer job hunt – which was a complete bust – summer driving lessons, registering for college courses… all that. Though I probably shouldn't use those as my excuse for being very… absent from my fanfiction post. I will, however, claim the release of Dream Drop Distance as an excuse… or not. Either way, this is now up and I will do everything in my power to get this fanfic past the Water Temple before I disappear again.

I do so solemnly swear. :D

- Hikari no Vikki


	18. Water Temple: Part 1

Chapter Eighteen: Water Temple – Part 1

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><p>Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force<p>

Chapter: 18

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: Really? I have to say this… AGAIN? How many times can I say I don't own this?

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

Whether or not this manages to fit all in one chapter (though considering its length and the obviously blatant stopping place for a cliffhanger before the dungeon item) I will make sure that the Water Temple chapter (or chapters) get finished before I disappear to go work on my art.

Pinky swear. :D

* * *

><p>After Sheik had left, Ashei pried the scroll attached to her bracelet and unrolled the instructions, beginning to read them aloud to her nearby companions.<p>

The top of the scroll read: Iron Bracelets – so heavy you can't run, so heavy you can't swim!

Ashei frowned at it for a moment, but shook her head and moved on to the actual instructions written in the tidy spidery scrawl of the Zoras that were listed below.

"To access maximum capability; place on your dominant hand. To equip, unlatch the clasp and press it to the underside of the wrist (or lace through leather loops if wearing gloves or gauntlets) and press the clasp together. The latch will lock automatically. To activate, press the green button, and to deactivate, press the red button. Warning: does not provide alternate sources of oxygen while underwater. It is advised to find such methods before applying while swimming."

Finally, she looked up. "Well, that was informative."

Obi-Wan stared at the thin metal bracelet only about an inch wide and an eighth of an inch thick. The softly glowing metal writhed and fluctuated underneath his touch, as though trying to get a read on something.

"Yes, quite," he muttered as he studied it. "It is indeed a useful tool to have."

He undid the latch and followed the instructions by placing it on the hand he used to wield his lightsaber, pressing the clasp to the underside of his wrist before pressing the clasp back together. The bright quality of the metal intensified as it completed its reading, and the clasp locked automatically with an audible clicking sound as the circumference stretched to properly fit the size of his wrist.

"And it appears to fit itself to fit the user as well."

He glanced at the nearby spot of water where the ice had been cut away, and all their gazes shifted towards it.

"As much as I really don't want to go down there," Link muttered, fiddling with his own bracelet as he struggled to insert it into his left gauntlet, "I don't think we really have much of a choice." He glanced back at the door, which had apparently locked itself again.

"It's probably a shortcut back to the entrance anyway," Ashei muttered, before throwing up her hands in exasperation from watching Link struggle to put his bracelet on.

"Oh here, let me help you!"

She moved in close to grab the bracelet and steady Link's hand at the same time that Link looked up to see her approach. Their eyes met for but a moment and something passed between them then, just before Ashei lowered her eyes to finish threading the bracelet through.

"Sorry," she mumbled, "noticed you were having trouble…"

"No," he muttered in kind, "it's fine."

Beside the water, Anakin cleared his throat, making the two look up at him suddenly, the last few moments forgotten.

"Um, how are you two going to breathe down there?" he asked, holding out a small mouth guard that filtered out the oxygen from the water. "Obi-Wan and I have these, but…" Ashei moved away from Link to fiddle with one of her belt packs, pulling out a foldable version of what Anakin had held out to her.

"I've got this," she said with a grin. But then it fell and she turned to Link. "But you don't have anything…" Link shrugged. "I can hold my breath. Shouldn't take that long, and besides, I've got this." He tapped the left side of his neck with one finger and the symbol of the Zora Scales appeared there briefly before fading.

Ashei stared at him. "_You've_ got a Zora Scale? Where…?"

Link's expression grew serious. "A Zora named Mikau gave it to me when I first entered Zora's Domain. He told me that when pressed to my skin, I would absorb its energy and be able to hold my breath for longer than normal. So I'll be fine."

He walked over to the pool of ice water and flashed his companions a grin.

"That being said, I should probably go first, and you'll follow behind." He looked up towards his hat, where Navi curled up underneath it, clutching at strands of his golden hair.

"Hold onto my hat, Navi!' he said, laughing. Navi grimaced. "Gladly."

And through the passageway they were able to escape the Ice Cavern and eventually make their way back to the King's Room where King Zora still sat frozen in red ice. Link stood on top of the pedestal, a bottle of blue fire in his hands and magic at his fingertips. Quickly, he uncorked the bottle and let the fire fall from it like liquid flame, Link using his mind to command the wind magic and have the fire to settle upon the red ice, melting it as it spiraled around the offending frost in glowing downward circles of brilliant blueness.

Eventually all of the ice dripped away, leaving the surrounding water tinged with red. King Zora's eyes fluttered open as if awakening from a long sleep, and he yawned for a moment before focusing on Link.

"Oh, I've come back to life! Was it… was it you who saved me? Don't be nervous!" He blinked a few times as Link stood there awkwardly under his gaze, and King Zora leaned in closer. "I know you… blonde hair, and green clothes, yes… oh! I do know you!" King Zora clapped his hands together as the thought came to him.

"You are the boy who saved my Princess Ruto! Of course, well, you've grown up a bit, but…" He blinked again, and looked beside him as if just noticing that there was no one sitting beside him and he wailed in horror.

"Oh, my precious Princess Ruto! Where has she gone? Is she… with the others under the ice?"

Link shook his head. "She managed to escape it with the help of a man named Sheik," he told King Zora, "but she is no longer in Zora's Domain. The same man who freed her told us that she went off to the Water Temple beneath the lake, but..." King Zora frowned. "But?"

Link sighed. "While I would go after her with the Iron Bracelets in the Ice Cavern located in the Fountain, I do not currently have any available means to breath underwater at this point, which I believe I need in order to traverse the temple without unnecessary difficulty."

King Zora nodded sagely. "That is true. I believe there should be a set of Zora Armor within the shop that can help you with that, though I suspect you might have to melt the ice from the door…"

Link held up his last bottle of Blue Fire with a smile.

Downstairs in Zora's Domain, Link stood in front of the blocked off door to the shop with the bottle in his hand. He uncorked it, and slowly he began pouring it at the threshold of the red ice, melting the foundation so that the rest would follow. Eventually it crumbled enough so that the entire wall fell to the ground, bits of still solid red ice scattering and clicking across the cold stone beneath their feet.

Automatically, the sensors of the torches on either side of the door whirred to life, flame springing into existence within the fuel that remained. Taking that as a good sign, Link slowly stepped over the red ice remains and entered into the Zoras' shop. The inside of the shop, unlike the outside, was very dimly lit. Link held up his pointer and middle fingers into the darkness and called a small flame to hover just above the skin. Entering behind Anakin and Obi-Wan, Ashei quickly did the same and the contents of the room began to become slightly more visible.

Anakin whistled. "I'm not sure what we were expecting to find, but this…"

Link shook his head. "No. This wasn't what I was expecting to find."

Before them lay chaos: boxes were strewn everywhere, some partially demolished, others but a semblance of what they used to be, most of the ones containing weapons and stockpiles for weapons were left untouched, but the ones that had once clearly contained food and other consumables were either completely empty or nearing it. Upon the table where shopkeepers would have conducted their shop-keeping, a kind of crude chemistry set sat surrounded by various things that were blue in color such as powders, fabrics, and even some ice. Ashei frowned at it as she drew closer.

"Someone's been trying to use this to make blue fire," she observed quietly.

"And that means… what?" asked Anakin. "That someone's still alive in here?" Obi-Wan nodded and pointed at some bowls that had been placed in specific places around the room where water dripped from the ceiling. Some had more water in them in others, and one looked like it had been recently emptied. "Those bowls are further proof. Could there be a storeroom where more merchandise would be kept?"

Link nodded, having found the latch to its entrance as Obi-Wan had been explaining things to Anakin. "Right here. Follow me, but be careful… who knows what things that someone who's been trapped here for years might be thinking about intruders…" Ashei nodded. "Yes, I agree caution is best."

The door creaked underneath his touch and he winced as it opened to reveal a staircase going down deeper into the rock. After having descended the stairs to another door, Link opened that one to reveal a moderately sized storage room that looked considerably cleaner but oddly cluttered rectangular room. Metal bookshelves served as storage containers, and save for the ones containing boxes of Zoras scales and halfway finished Zora Tunics, all contained different things that didn't all pertain to things the shop might have sold seven years ago.

Non-perishable canned foods were stacked upon the highest shelves, and various traps on the bottom ones. Several had things like rats and frogs in them, and all of them looked very hand-made. Ashei guessed that the bottoms had been made from arrows tied together with twine and the metal springs had come from the boxes of cannibalized bombs she had seen up in the storefront.

Most of the middle shelves contained various crude chemistry sets that were busy making or looked like they could make various things such as soap, powders, and a few unidentifiable liquids. A few had small candles placed on them that lit the small area well enough for Link and Ashei to dispel their small flames. There was a restroom on their left and another large metal bookshelf on their right, which had a sparkling net of Zora scales attached to it that was strewn across from the shelf to the wall on the opposite side with a piece of twine. A brighter light flickered from the gap beneath it and the floor.

As they approached it, however, the door to the restroom behind them opened, and they all whirled around to see who or what was about to enter the room.

Wide eyes stared into wider eyes as the disheveled Zora that entered the room stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of another living creature that walked upon two legs and spoke a language he understood (or so he assumed). He wore nothing but a belted blue wrap that hung low against his thin hips, but it was well worn and appeared to at least be mostly clean. He blinked, staring at the faces of the people that had somehow managed to appear in the storeroom without his knowledge until a sparkle of light caught his attention and drew it to the youth that stood in their midst.

The youth was the tallest of them all, with golden blonde hair, a carefully composed expression, and striking blue eyes. The youth also wore a familiar green tunic, along with a similarly familiar hat around which a small blue fairy fluttered. The Zora blinked a few more times before clearing his voice in an attempt to speak, for he was still yet shocked at the realization that he was no longer alone.

"Link… is that… you?" Having only used his voice once or twice a week to curse at his cooking attempts or his chemistry sets, it was rough and scratchy. He hadn't exactly had anyone to really practice on or converse with in all his days stuck down here.

The youth frowned for a moment, but then realization dawned on him once he finally made the connection between the Zora before him and the fact that said Zora also happened to know his name.

"Mikau! You're alive!"

Link's eyes were bright relief. He hadn't even thought about whether or not Mikau was still alive, but he knew that it made him terribly happy to know that he hadn't been trapped in the ice with all the others. Mikau grinned slightly, and the only girl in their company slightly turned her head to Link.

"Link? How do you know this person?" She seemed genuinely curious.

"I met him when I first came to Zora's Domain," he explained to his friends, "He was actually the one who gave me the Zora's Scale!"

The girl turned to Mikau with eyes full of approval.

"Mikau," Link said sharply enough to catch his attention before continuing on, "these are my friends, Ashei, Anakin, and Obi-Wan." He gestured to each of them respectively. Mikau nodded. "It's nice to meet you all, but…" he paused, frowning, "how exactly did you get down here? The entrance has been blocked by red ice for years!"

Link pulled off his hat and plucked an empty bottle from within it.

"We went into the Ice Cavern behind the fountain and found some blue fire to melt it. We had to go in there anyway because King Zora was frozen in red ice as well, and…" he grimaced, "it wasn't like I _wanted_ to leave him that way."

"King Zora was frozen?" Mikau gasped in quiet incredulousness. "Nayru's Love, is he all right?"

Link shrugged. "Perfectly fine as far as I can tell. Princess Ruto is alive as well, but she's no longer in Zora's Domain. I was informed by the person who rescued her from the ice that she went off to the Water Temple beneath the lake, but that is a place into which I'm afraid I cannot follow."

Mikau nodded sagely. "Obviously." He glanced at the nearby Zora Tunics that had been left unfinished, but he sighed and shook his head. "Sadly, I am not all that proficient at sewing Zora scales into fabric the way my wife is… was…" he paused, took a breath, and continued after he took a moment to collect himself. "So as much as I would like to finish one of the tunics for you, I'm afraid that I cannot."

"King Zora said that there was a set of Zora Armor down here, though," Ashei muttered, "Surely you know where that is, don't you?"

Mikau blinked. "Of course I do. But it is most treasured among our people… or at least it was…" He glanced at Link. "I will give it to you, since the King wishes you to have it, but I must explain something to you first. Come, follow me." He waved them towards the area behind the net of Zora scales.

Mikau shoved the cloth aside like a curtain, and the others followed in slowly, Link at the front, and Ashei at the rear. On the opposite side of the storeroom existed more storage, but mostly a personal desk area whereupon sat an oil lamp full of oil, some stacked books, a few papers with tidy Zora scribblings, as well as pictures of many of the other Zoras, one capturing the likeness of Mikau with another female Zora that Link assumed to be Mikau's wife. There were also more books and papers on some of the other shelves above a bed, with traps at the bottom and boxed non-perishable foods up top.

There was only one box on this side of the room, though, and Mikau pulled it from underneath the desk as the others filtered in, finally bringing out into the middle of the small space and opening the lid.

Inside lay a gleaming treasure of sturdy blue boots made to look like fins, chain mail from Zora Scales, a pendant bearing the symbol of the Zoras, plus many other goodies that lay buried beneath the box's initial contents. Mikau looked at it appreciatively.

"It doesn't really surprise me though that King Zora would give this to you. After all, many of Hyrule's champions have worn this very set of armor before you." He glanced at Link, who seemed slightly surprised to hear this news. "Come, let's get you dressed." Mikau glanced at Link's three companions. "Away with you now, and draw the curtains back if you would, please." Mikau did not miss the look of gratefulness on Link's face as his companions filed out, and he chuckled.

"You like your privacy, huh?" He whispered with a smile.

"Something like that," he muttered.

Eventually they got things worked out and the blue hat that was a part of the Zora Armor ensemble also came with a bottomless pit spell, thus they were able to fit all of Link's other clothing and gear inside it as well, removing only the Iron Bracelet from his other gauntlets and put them in the new ones with the wrist guards.

Just before Mikau was about the usher Link back out to see his friends, he helped the young hero replace all of his other gear (bow, sword, hammer, as well as his quiver and scabbard respectively) along with his shield. "Take this too," he murmured quietly, fusing on a waterproof cap to the quiver he'd found in the Forest Temple, "and this. Trust me, you'll need it."

It was the funky looking headpiece that resembled those he'd seen some of the Zora guards wear when he'd first come to Zora's Domain.

"I don't doubt that," Link agreed as he ran a hand over the material. It was strong and sturdy, the rough stone texture making Link wonder what it was made of, for all the lightness it seemed to have.

Once ushered outside, his companions seemed to appraise him well for his new attire.

"You look good," Anakin told him as Mikau was shooing him past the curtains. "It's much better looking than the Goron Tunic." Mikau chuckled. "But it makes you much more vulnerable to ice and fire attacks as well, so don't go wearing it anywhere that might be a danger to you, all right?"

Link nodded. "I shall keep that in mind, thank you."

Before they left, Link turned to touch Mikau on the shoulder so he might leave him with a sense of hope. "Mikau," he said urgently, "if King Zora was all right after being under that ice for so long, I am sure the other Zoras will be as well. Once the creature in the temple is slain, the ice shall melt, and I am certain everything shall return to normal, at least where Zora's Domain is concerned."

Mikau smiled a thankful smile in Link's direction.

"I thank you for that bit of information. However, I think I shall remain here until then, since I have been down here so long, and I would not like to see my fellows trapped beneath the ice sheet as you have. A few more days couldn't hurt for all the time I've spent down here."

Beside Link, Ashei frowned.

"How is it you were keeping time, anyway?"

Mikau gestured to a small digital clock on his desk with a smug grin. "It's amazing what you can do with cannibalized bomb parts these days, my dear."

They exited Zora's Domain shortly thereafter.

As they stood beyond the crashing wave of the waterfall, Link fingered the Ocarina in his hands. He studied it for some time while his companions discussed how they were going to handle fighting in an underwater temple, the instrument proving to be fairly light against the fabric of his new gauntlets.

Ashei noticed Link's scrutiny of the Ocarina, a small sound of curiosity escaping her lips.

"Rupee for your thoughts, Link?" she asked as his gaze shifted towards her. He shrugged, his eyes turning back to the Ocarina. "You know, Sheik has taught me all those songs for the Temples we've been to, but so far we really never had to use them." He paused, frowning.

"It makes me wonder if there's actually any truth to the matter."

Ashei had the strange desire to tell him that there was, but she reminded herself that she should probably provide what little proof she could to convince him, since she hardly knew how the mechanics of travel by song worked other than what the theory said it did.

"There was a study on it sometime before I was born," she offered slowly, "before the castle composers died and were buried in Kakariko Graveyard, they found evidence that the castle composers from many ages ago had discovered a way to manipulate the elements through music. Two of those known elements in our universe are time and space, which given the right conditions, could be manipulated to achieve something similar to teleportation."

"The theory sounds correct," Obi-Wan muttered, "Though through the Force such things are not conducive to Jedi practices."

Ashei shook her head. "Of course they wouldn't be. The Force is the energy that flows through all things naturally. To use it for manmade notions of teleportation or instant transportation would be… wrong." Beside Obi-Wan, Anakin nodded his head slightly.

"But if you used an energy that was similar to the Force?" he asked, seeing where she was going with her argument, "Would that be able to do things such as what we're currently discussing?" Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin, who was obviously never quite so eloquent with his words.

Ashei nodded, not really noticing the difference.

"That's what the castle composers were studying. You can't deny that music has its own sort of energy about it, or at least it stirs up and even creates its own energy when played. Surely you felt it when Link played that one song in the forest to… what was it?"

"To wake it up I believe is what the Guardians said," Link answered her.

Ashei turned back to the Jedi and nodded once more.

"No…" Obi-Wan said slowly, "I suppose I can't deny that I felt the energy flow change when Link played the song for the Guardians. I felt it in the volcano too, when Sheik taught you the song for that Temple…"

"So while that energy is indeed similar and even stems partially from the Force itself, I think the theory was that by using something that requires something beyond the what you find in nature, you can bend the elements with it. Of course, the theory by no means proves there is any right in such manipulation, but one could argue the same about the use of other manmade things such as weaponry. I also don't claim to know exactly _how_ the music is supposed to teleport us, I just know that there is the possibility that it can."

Obi-Wan nodded, satisfied with Ashei's explanation, before he looked pointedly up at Link. "So, how about we simply try it and find out if there's any truth to the theory, right Link?" Now it was Anakin's turn to stare dumbly at his Master, for Obi-Wan rarely did anything without finding out whether it worked or not.

Link nodded, and he positioned himself between his companions so that they stood around him in a triangle, and gently he pressed the mouthpiece of the Ocarina to his lips, letting out a slow steam of air into the instrument,

His fingers began moving over the holes as he played, and as he played he distanced himself slightly from the music to examine the energy around him, noting that while much of the magic was wrapped around him, tendrils of it reached out without any direction towards his companions in order to take them along for the ride. He still made sure, with a few gentle nudges of his own magic, that the music had securely tied itself to his friends before pulling away to let his own mind become immersed in its curious, alluring power.

The world around him lifted away to the strange whiteness he sometimes saw when they left the Sacred Realm, with a few occasional flashes of black as his vision began to blur and shift. He felt solid ground beneath his feet even though he was sure they were floating, which did strange things to his perception of the space around him. It felt strange, almost like a blanket of energy had picked him up and cradled his own energy within it, along with the molecules of their bodies and everything.

And then suddenly he blinked as the music began to fade, and light shone across his eyes again. No longer were they standing before the waterfall that led to Zora's Domain, but in the very center of Lake Hylia itself.

At least… he was fairly sure it was the place he'd seen when he'd surfaced to find the letter that Princess Ruto had sent as a call for help.

Now, it was little more than a giant hole in the ground, a crater with spots of moisture that the sun hadn't yet dried up, little rivers made from sporadic rains still lying in the dirt where water had once been… only the water that surrounded part of the island where they had been transported to was what Link was sure seemed to be the remains of the lake.

"Is this… Lake Hylia?" Ashei asked quietly once she'd regained her composure. Link frowned, glancing up at a sparkling dot near the northwestern lakeshore where the shortcut to Zora's Domain was located. It appeared to be the end of the cancerous sheet of ice that plagued it, and he was sure that was the reason the lake was as they were seeing it now.

Link sighed deeply.

"This is… what remains of the lake, anyway," he told her softly. "I'm fairly certain that the reason that it is like this is because Zora's Domain is frozen over. Without the water that the Domain provides, this is what it looks like with only rain to contribute to the level of water the lake may contain."

Ashei nodded slowly. "And where would the Water Temple be?" she asked in reply. "Down there?" Everyone's gaze followed her pointed hand back to the remaining water, which Link resumed giving a bland, resigned look.

"Presumably," he answered, "I'm going to slide down there and see if the door is still open…"

And with that he slid down the side of the small island and into the water, pulling up a black mask that seemingly filtered the oxygen from the water before turning on his bracelet and sinking below the surface. As the water slid over him, the most peculiar sensation flickered across his senses and his eyes glowed a brighter blue for the magic kept the water from touching the membrane of the irises.

His feet touched the stone below the surface, and he looked up to see an iron gate buried in the dirt, unmovable. Link frowned, unsure of what to do, but his eyes spotted a blue shape above the door and he wondered what might happen if it were hit by something… but what?

Underwater, nothing worked but his hookshot.

He pulled it from a pocket, staring at it closely, He looked back up again, shrugging, since what would it hurt if he tried?

So Link held up the object in order to aim it properly at the shape, and then he flipped the switch so that the coiled spring would release and send the sharp metal at the end of it crashing against its target. And… even underwater the thing worked beautifully. It worked as intended, and the object came loose from its place above the door, somehow releasing whatever had kept the iron gate in place and allowing it to retract back upwards into the rock.

Having successfully made a way in, Link turning his bracelet back off to let his friends know of his accomplishment.

"So?" Ashei asked as she leaned over the edge to catch a glimpse of his eyes beneath the rim of his helmet. "Is it open?" Link shook his head, but his smiling lips said otherwise. "It wasn't when I went down, but it is now." Not a moment after he'd said it, a blue carrot shaped object popped up on the surface, which Ashei assumed was what had been keeping the gate in place.

She turned to Anakin and Obi-Wan.

"Well, let's get down there and not waste anymore time."

So with that they all slid down into the water and turned on their Iron Bracelets, enabling them to enter the Water Temple.

The first thing they immediately noticed upon entering the temple was that in order to actually get to the temple's hub room, they had to turn off their bracelets so they could climb the ledge that led into the main room of the temple. Anakin glanced at the contraption on his wrist with some measure of gratitude and condescension.

"Man, I'm really glad these are only bracelets," he muttered, "It would be hell if they were boots instead… all this activating and deactivating…"

Obi-Wan frowned at Anakin for his language, but for once refrained from pointing it out for all that he had to agree with his Padawan about the issue. Ashei and Link seemed to be in agreement over the comment as well.

"From what I know about this temple," Ashei said as they looked out from the entrance down into the water below the first level of the giant pillar that supported the entirety of the temple structure, "is that it was built as a sort of safe house for any Zoras who managed to escape whatever hardships might befall Zora's Domain…" She bit her lip. "Obviously the ice must have come too fast for that, or this place might not be so monster infested…"

Link frowned, but said nothing as he looked at the water.

"Where do we start? There are doors on every level and every side. What do we do, flip a rupee?" Ashei glanced at their companions. "There's always paper, rock, scissors again," she suggested, shrugging.

They ended up doing as she'd suggested, with Anakin winning for once. He scanned the area until he pointed to the door on level with the waterline on their right, shrugging and saying it was as good a place to start as any. And with so many other doors to choose from, how could anyone argue?

They ended up swimming over to it and climbing up to find another patch of water where they could sink down and explore. Ashei grumbled quietly as their wet clothing dripped on the luminescent blue tiles. "I expect most of the temple will be like this as well… it's going to be a long time before any of us are going to feel dry again, I can feel it…"

Her companions seemed to understand the sentiment.

But go down into the water they did, finding only a short hallway that eventually branched off into two other hallways that went nowhere. There was, however, a moveable block that once pulled as far as it would go, sat just in the right place to block off the two smaller hallways.

Once asked why he'd chosen that direction, Anakin shrugged. "I just had a feeling we needed to stop there first before we did anything else."

"The Force, then?" Link asked as he rearranged the strands of his wet hair out of his eyes. Obi-Wan nodded. "Most likely." Ashei sighed as she stared at the water. "I propose that we just continue exploring straight down this side until there's nothing more we can do and make note of anything so we can come back later. I get the feeling that this is one of those places where you have to know where every little thing is in order to solve all the puzzles…"

So they slipped into the water and dropped down one level, leaving their bracelets on so they weren't swimming with their heads to the ceiling. The second floor hallway made a sharp left turn, and then a sharp right where a few Stingers ambushed them. Anakin and Obi-Wan had to resort to using knives that were about as long as their forearms, while Link used his Hookshot and Ashei used a long string of wordless spells that allowed her to burst any of the Stingers tiny little brains if they got too close.

Seeing a hole in the ceiling above, they turned off their Iron Bracelets while carefully avoiding the spikes nearby as they ascended and eventually broke into a small, square room covered in more blue tiles and containing little else except for a crystal switch and a treasure chest surrounded by a strange contained waterfall that prevented the chest from being opened.

Ashei was the first to scramble out of the water, positioning herself by the switch and drawing her thin white sword. Link was next, and Anakin and Obi-Wan opted to remain floating in the water since they'd only be going back in anyway. So Ashei hit the switch, the water dispersed, and Link flipped the chest's metal latch to retrieve the object inside.

"A compass?" Ashei queried, "Already?"

Link shrugged, staring at the small band around it imprinted with the symbol of the Water Temple. "The map can't be too far away, then," he reasoned, "so let's head for the bottom level of this side and see what we can find."

Heading in that direction, all of them filed out into the main hub once more.

As they were descending to the last level, Link began to wonder just where in the Water Temple the Zora Princess had gone off to, since they hadn't seen any evidence of her presence yet…

However, speak of the devil, there she appeared before them as she stood, hand on her hips, frowning at a door locked with bars that sat between two torches. Yet at the sound of their muffled footsteps in the water, the frills attached to her arms sharpened into razors, and she whirled around at them with a snarl on her face.

Link stopped dead in his tracks. As a child, Ruto's snarl hadn't been anything more than harmless, an attempt at terrifying turned cute by her youth and size. There was no such harmless guise about her now. But still, something made her pause as she caught Link's eyes, and the sharpness of her frills softened slightly as she studied him, turning around more to examine his face.

"Oh…" she whispered, realization slowly creeping into her face little by little, "you… if I'm right…?" Her eyes caught Ashei's confused, edgy expression and she grinned, quickly turning her studious gaze back on Link.

"Link? Yes, you're Link, aren't you?"

Link jumped slightly as he felt Ashei's mind brush his.

'_How on Din's good earth do you know this person?'_ Link wisely chose not to comment on that, as it didn't exactly bring back pleasant memories…

Ruto giggled, which sounded strange underwater, but it was different than her giggles from before. Seven years ago, her voice had been shrill and whining. Now her giggles flowed through the water as the peal of wind chimes smoothed together into one sound.

"It's me," she sang, "your fiancée, Ruto!"

Link all but bent over in half at that, stepping backwards too much and needing Ashei to catch him. This time she didn't let go though, and she clung to his left arm as she glared at Ruto from behind it.

'_Princess of the Zoras indeed,' _Ashei muttered into Link's mind.

"I never forgot, you know," Princess Ruto continued, "about those vows we made seven years ago?" Link frowned, and Ashei saw clearly from his expression that he had no idea what she was talking about. That made her relax slightly. Just a bit.

"You're a terrible man to have kept me waiting for these seven long years!"

Link sighed into his mask and shook his head, breathing deeply to access the calm center that was his store of power within the Force so that he could speak to everyone simultaneously.

'_Ruto, now is not the time,' _he told her with as firm and expression you could give when all you were able to use of your face to express with was your eyes and nose. Surprisingly, Ruto seemed to agree. Her amused expression first turned sour, then apprehensive, and finally distantly contemplative.

"So you've already seen it then… Zora's Domain, frozen over?"

She noticed what Link was wearing and seemed surprised to see it. "You found that in order to follow me here? You know how important that is to my people, right?" Link nodded.

'_We freed your father and Mikau in the Zora's shop. Your father let me borrow it so I could come and find you, and Mikau helped me find it.'_

She nodded slowly, almost thoughtfully. "You'd have to have gone into the Ice Cavern, then… and you must have met the young man who saved me, Sheik?"

'_Far too many times than I'd like,'_ Link said to himself.

She ground her slender hands into fists and growled with another snarl directed at the glowing glue tiles.

"I want to save them! I want to save them all!"

_'That's why we're here, Princess,' _Link assured her, _'To help you.'_

At that, she looked up and him and her expression softened with just a touch of humor tugging at the edges of her lips.

"So then you'll accept the request of the woman who is going to be your wife?" She didn't even make an attempt at a giggle. Link rolled his eyes while Ashei smiled smugly from behind Link's arm, and Anakin and Obi-Wan remained genuinely clueless.

'_No,'_ he replied softly, _'but we will help you slay the monster in the temple.'_

A gentle, smug grin made its way onto Ruto's face.

"Well then, let's get moving! After all, there are only three places in the temple where you can change the water level, and you'll need to do that if you're going to get anywhere in here! Follow me!"

In a seemingly fluid motion, Ruto kicked upwards from where she stood before them on the ground and essentially launched herself up into the water, spinning gracefully to propel herself up even further. All of them turned off their Iron Bracelets to follow her up to the top of the water, which pooled against the corner wall of a small room with a door and the symbol of the Hylian Royal family etched into the wall.

Once all of them made it up over the ledge, Princess Ruto began explaining how the water adjustment worked.

"All you have to do is stand there and play Zelda's Lullaby for it," she told Link, "I'm assuming you have an instrument of some sort?" Link nodded. "But first, I'm going to go check out the room next door. Wait here."

"Hey, wait! Ugh…" Ruto frowned after him.

"Hasn't changed a bit…" she muttered. Ashe cocked her head to one side. "What do you mean? He was like that when you met him?" Ruto nodded, smiling thinly. "Yeah… it's kind of a shame that he's so handsome." She laughed softly under her breath and Anakin cleared his throat off to the side.

"What was all that about earlier? Something about a fiancée?"

"Oh, it was just that I gave him the Zora's Sapphire seven years ago when he saved me from the parasite that was being a bitch to poor Lord Jabu-Jabu's insides… it was wonderfully heroic of him, despite the way I treated him. You see, the Zora's Sapphire is kind of like the Zora royal family's engagement ring, but…"

Ashei frowned. "You know that's impossible. You took advantage of his lack of knowledge and his noble cause."

Princess Ruto frowned. "Noble cause? That was all the Princess of Destiny's doing! She talked him into it! She was the one who used his lack of knowledge to her advantage… I was just teasing. Interspecies relations between Hylians and Zoras are next to impossible anyway without the proper lab equipment to stabilize the eggs…" she blinked then, blushing fiercely, but turned her attention back to Ashei with a leering gaze.

"Besides… you're the one with the crush on our dear sweet forest boy…"

Ashei spluttered, her cheeks burning. "I, what… no! I do not!"

Ruto waved a softly scolding finger in Ashei's direction. "You do too. Stop denying it. At least _you_ aren't taking advantage of him either, but… it's really not healthy to keep such things to yourself for very long, especially when you're spending so much time with the object of your affections…"

"But he doesn't understand!" Ashei growled.

"So make him," was Ruto's quick, decisive reply. Silence.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat.

"I don't claim to have followed all of that entirely, but from what I understand you," he pointed to Ruto, "weren't actually serious about the whole fiancée business?" Ruto shook her head. "No, I was not. And really, that's all you need to have understood from that conversation. The rest of it was of a more… personal nature." She flashed him a wicked grin.

And it was at that moment that Link returned from the room he'd entered, a map in his hands.

"Told you it wouldn't be very far away, Ashei!" he came out with a large grin, only to be met with a tentative, skeptical look from his dear friend. He frowned, "What something wrong?" He narrowed his eyes and glanced in Ruto's direction. "Did you say something you shouldn't have, Ruto?"

Ruto shook her head. "Nothing that didn't need saying, no," she replied.

Link studied her for a moment before shrugging it off and glancing through the papers of the map. "Hmm… there's this one room labeled 'Longshot Chain' right before the 'Room of Illusion'… do you know what those are, Ruto?" She shook her head. "Not really. I've only been to this place once, and I was really little at the time. The only reason I know what I know is because Sheik told me some of it."

Link frowned, but let the matter slide. He put the map away in one of his charmed pockets where the compass sat, and he simultaneously pulled off his hat to retrieve the Ocarina that was inside.

Ruto pouted. "Typical that you'd have the Ocarina of Time… well, whatever." She waved the topic away. "Just play the song."

Link shot a quick, skeptical glance in her direction, but he disregarded her subtly hostile tone when referencing the Princess, and instead brought the instrument to his lips, his fingers flying across the instrument to bring forth Zelda's beautiful lullaby. By the end, he noticed Ruto's dumbstruck gaze.

And he smiled secretly to himself.

Then he heard it: a sort of whooshing sound. All of their number turned around to face the steadily receding water and the all decided to dive in and go along for the ride since no one was fond of making any kind of jumps through the small space they had available to them.

Once they'd been set gently down on the lowest level, Link again pulled the map to look at what was behind the door Ruto had bee staring at.

"Looks like there's a key in this room," he mused. "We'll probably need it later." Anakin chuckled darkly. "If it's here, then of course we need it." Ruto smirked in Anakin's direction. "Huh, I like you. You're nice and snarky." Link turned around to stare pointedly at her, slightly put off.

"Ruto, don't encourage him." He sighed, and stuffing the map away, kindly asked if Ashei would light the nearby torches with her arrows. She nodded, pulling her bow and two arrows from her back. "I'm on it."

And just like that, the door was open.

"One has to wonder, though, why that torch in the middle was lit even though the wood was drenched…" Ashei mused. Link shrugged. "Can't say _I_ have ay logical explanations… hey, whoa!"

No more than a second after Link had stepped into the next room he'd been chased after by a large a clam-looking thing with a pink fleshy cord between its stone jaws. "What on Din's good earth is that?" he asked as soon as he'd found relative safety in one corner far enough away from the thing. Ashei studied them from her own relative safe vantage point.

"Um… shell blades, I think. Am I right, Princess Ruto?"

Ruto walked in and sniffed at the creatures haughtily. "Yeah, that's what they are. Bit of a nuisance, but fairly easy to get rid of. Here, I'll show you." She held up her arm and the fin on it sharpened into a razor.

Holding up her razor fin, she inched closer to one of the creatures until it sensed her presence and turned to her, jaws open wide to reveal the fleshy cord within. She flashed the soon-to-be-dead creature a wide, feral grin before performing a spinning slash against the weak point inside, the creature dissolving at once into nothing as it disintegrated.

She chuckled a bit as she watched it, and she looked around at her companions as her razor fin softened into its usual gentle waves.

"And _that's_ how you destroy them. Care to give it a try?" she smiled smugly at Link, who readied his own bow and advanced on the nearest of the remaining shell blades. "Gladly," he replied, letting loose an arrow as it opened its mouth to gnaw on his flesh, only to die an instant later.

Once all of the shell blades were eliminated, energy filled the room, summoning a small chest in the center of the shimmering tiled floor. Link kicked at its latch and bent down to retrieve the spoils within. He pocketed the key and nodded to the door, signaling that they exit and return to the main room for further exploration.

Once back into the main hub room, Link pulled out the map and the compass again to determine their position while the others gaped at the lack of water in the temple.

"Where does it all go?" Anakin asked Ruto, who gave him a bland look.

"What, just because I'm a Zora you think I know everything? Sorry, I've no clue either. Must be some kind of magic or a really complex draining system. I dunno. You figure it out, Jedi." Ashei and Obi-Wan wisely chose to remain silent until Link clear his throat behind them.

"Um, okay. So I've figured out that right now we're standing on the east side of the temple and that nothing on the north side is currently accessible with out current equipment…" He flipped through the pages of the map while holding the compass between the ring and pinkie fingers of his left hand.

"And what does it say we can do about finding the way to raise the water again?" Obi-Wan asked, hoping for an answer.

"That way," Link said as he pointed to the center structure, "and the only way we can access it is if we have the water lowered all the way like it is now… hmm. This map is incredibly detailed… oh, and there's another small key we can get before we do that." He flipped back to the first page and looked up. "It's on the west side, so we should get moving. And there's so details about the room the chest is located in, so I'm going to need to stop you once we're there." The others nodded.

"We can do that," Ashei said quietly, still somewhat put out at Ruto's brash calling out of her secret affections for the blonde.

So they traveled across the wet sand and dirt of the lowest level of the temple over to the west side, where Anakin offered to push the block that sat in front of their path. Eventually, once pushed far enough, the block fell deep into another pool of water, which their company slipped into to swim through and access another room.

This one was about square in width and length, with a slightly higher ceiling. A gap in the middle separated the sides, and a small geyser sat in the center. On their side of the room, a crystal switch sat to their right, and on the opposite side, a Tektite waited for them patiently, blinking owlishly with its single red eye.

Ashei drew her bow.

"I'll take care of the Tektite. Once it's gone we can hit the switch and go across. The geyser _should_ be fairly safe to use as a platform." The others nodded, and as Ashei's marksmanship made quick work of the Tektite, Link hit the crystal switch to make the geyser in the middle rise.

Everyone dashed across as quickly as possible in order to get to the other side before the geyser ran out of time and lowered back down.

And then they came to the room.

It was a large square room with a substantial amount of water containing a fast spinning current, and below it were the statues of a dragon's neck and head, with the head containing another crystal switch. Excluding their entrance, there were two other paths from the room, one being in a high place they couldn't access, and another down below the water where a hookshot target sat tacked on the wall next to a heavy grating.

Link frowned at the water. "How fast is that going?"

Ruto stuck her right big toe in the water and yelped as she jumped back. "Too fast to swim against. Most can only swim about three and a half miles per hour in stagnant water, never mind against a current like this…"

Anakin, slightly frustrated at the block in their progress, muttered something along the lines of, "So what do we do to get the key? You're the only one fast enough in the water and Link's the only one with a projectile weapon that actually works in the water!"

"Not for long," Link muttered, scraping off the bits of rust that were forming on the chain. No one seemed to have heard him, though.

Obi-Wan's eyes lit up as Anakin's words provided him with the proper ideas to lay out a plan to proceed. "Friends, I've got an idea!" Ruto turned to him, a skeptical look plastered to her face. "Really? Well, let's hear it…" She folded her arms under her generous chest and stood with her feet apart.

"Ruto, you can go down there and wait by the grating while Link should sink into the water onto the dragon's neck, so he can reach the hookshot target in case you're detained by water monsters or something." He turned to Link. "You'll need to use the hookshot underwater to hit the switch. Can you do that?" Link nodded. "Yeah, sure. No problem."

Ruto did as she was asked, but she could feel a chill run down her spine as though something were watching her… something very, very nearby. And it felt like it was hunting… for something.

But go into the water she did, and she felt a little safer once she was followed by Link, yet she still felt like there was something watching her… following her every move… until she came under the safety of the passageway and the metal of the nearby gate felt like a reassuring touch that secured her security as she waited, tucked away in the little hall.

Link also made his way down into the water, feeling that same chill as he entered, and he did his best to be quick about it as he aimed for the switch with his hookshot and hearing the familiar ringing those switches always made when they were hit.

Ruto entered the gate, and after a moment or so it closed behind her, but he was sure there would be a way for her to come back with the key in hand.

Sure enough, the gate reopened, and he felt safe enough to return back to where the rest of their group waited near the entrance to the room. As he was returning to his companions, however, Ruto saw something slide down into the water from the higher entrance and slink after Link's left leg, looking for all the world like a little pink sponge encased in… no!

"Link, look out!" she cried, and she gathered her magic for an electric spinning charge as she barreled into the creature that had been after Link's leg. The attack left her weakened, and she lay suspended beneath the water, trapped in the volatile current, her limbs frozen from the use of so much magic at once. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, and thus she most certainly couldn't swim at all to get away from the creature as it turned on her, the pink sponge thing growing and shrinking and changing all sorts of interesting shades of pink and red that she assumed signified its anger.

And then it went for her.

This time, there was no one to save her.

"Ahh!" she cried again, letting out a piercing squeal of pain. The others looked up, and by now Link had reached the edge of the pool, his wide eyes showing the depth of his innocence, making Ruto understand at once what Ashei had been referring to when she'd teased her so.

But now all she could feel was pain, except for the coolness of the metal clutched in her right hand as the tendrils of sticky blue liquid squeezed the breath from her lungs and she thought she felt something crack as blood began dribbling from her mouth, dripping into the water below as the creature began to slink back up the wall.

She watched, horrified, as Link tried to come after her, but Ashei (that smart, wonderful girl) held him back, and she couldn't hear what words he was trying to scream at her for all that whatever blood wasn't dribbling from her lips was rushing past her ears.

She blinked once as it slid further up the wall, and her vision blurred, black spots beginning to appear at the edge of her sight.

Dimly, her attention shifted to the key in her hand, and as more oppressive stickiness curled around her legs and neck, she managed to use what strength she had left to toss the key as far as she could in the direction of the door before the creature slid over the wall and into the sweet, cloying presence of the deep and the dark.

They stood for a long time after Link had climbed out of the water with the key they'd come to fetch, and all was quiet except for the rushing of the water.

Surprisingly, it was Anakin that broke the silence.

"What… was that? And… will she… be okay?"

No one seemed to have any answers, but at least Link attempted to answer them despite the barrage of feelings that were pounding his brain and his body in waves of sheer, oppressive _feeling_.

"I think… that was the creature that Sheik was talking about. The one that froze Zora's Domain and filled the temple with monsters and darkness." He was right about the darkness, surely. In the Fire Temple, there had been too much light for it to make a difference, but like the Forest Temple, the Water Temple felt like it could crush you if you let your guard down for an instant.

"As for whether she'll be all right… I don't know." He looked down at the key in his hand, staring at the blood that still gleamed wet against the symbol of the Water Temple fused to the metal. "But Ruto's a strong person. I have no doubt she'll survive as long as she can."

Ashei nodded. "We just have to get to her before she can't."

Obi-Wan hummed in agreement. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go."

And with that they exited the room and made their way back to the main hub where they would continue their quest for the creature, and now, a way to save Princess Ruto from its slimy, slippery clutches.

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><p>So… yeah. I figured when I was at page 13 and not even at Lake Hylia yet that this would be a two-parter. It's also a freaking long temple even if you know where everything is and how to get it.<p>

I also chose Bracelets for the simple reason that Anakin points out as they're entering the temple, and I tried to keep up with little details like their constantly being wet, Ruto's presence in the temple (because, really, in reality she wouldn't just disappear like she does in-game), and things like that. I also brought back Mikau and delved a bit into his character, so that was pretty cool. (And yes, I do know that the entrance up high is just the exit point after you get the dungeon item, but it was there, so I used it.)

So, one more chapter and then I'll probably disappear until I'm done with my Game Grumps comic on tumblr and one or two of my character designs for the fanfic, which will be posted on deviantART. See you then!

- Hikari no Vikki


	19. Water Temple: Part 2

Chapter Nineteen: The Water Temple – Part 2

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><p>Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force<p>

Chapter: 19

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: I… have a shirt. That's about it. I own nothing else.

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

Okay, so after this chapter I'm gonna disappear for a little bit and then maybe I'll try to work on getting to and through the Shadow Temple at some point. But things also need to start moving in regards to Link and Ashei, and other character development… bleh. Too much to think about right now.

Just scroll down and enjoy. Bon appetit!

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><p>Link fingered a tiny golden coin as they once again gathered in the main room to decide where to go. They'd chosen to go south now that it was possible to do so, but all they'd found on the south side of the lowest level was a dead end and a Golden Skulltula.<p>

He was also the one holding the map so that they could decide where to go.

"Nowhere else looks like it'll do us much good," Ashei muttered, "so we might as well head into the middle section now."

"Sounds like a plan," agreed Obi-Wan, his usually talkative padawan, Anakin, unusually silent for the time being.

The loss of their previous companion, Princess Ruto, was still leaving the remaining travelers somber and shaken. After all, Princess Ruto had the kind of personality that could fill a room without people, and to be suddenly deprived of that company was prominently devastating. Even Ashei had felt affected by their loss, for she'd shuddered when she saw the blood on the key as Link was pocketing it.

It was the first key that came to Link's hands when they arrived at the locked door that led into the middle section of the temple. She was partly glad to see it go, as Link was to use it, just so that it wouldn't bother her as they continued on progressing in the temple.

Now, to take note, most of the temple had been mostly carved from the underwater rocks or overlaid with shimmering blue tiles. The middle tower of the temple was still a part of the very _blue_ theme of the Water Temple, but it was mostly constructed from solid stone on the bottom, and huge columns of steel and hardy metal sheet-walls that stretched a long way up. The sheer size of the structure, combined with the knowledge that the column was what essentially held the Water Temple together stunned all of them speechless.

"Careful," Ashei warned them as they walked in further, "there's spikes on either side of us."

Anakin, who was surprised by her voice in the nearly silent room, took a wrong step and almost fell straight sideways into the spikes, but Link was quick enough to grab him so that he didn't impale himself on their sharp tips.

"Hey," Anakin breathed sharply as Link let go of his collar once he'd assured himself Anakin was safe on the bridge, "thanks. I owe you one." Link shook his head. "Not really. That's what you have friends for, right?" He looked up to his hat, where Navi looked down at him in return from beneath his hat.

"Say Navi? Can you fly up and look for another one of those places where we can change the water level?" Navi nodded. "Can do!"

And off she went, wriggling out from beneath, flying upwards.

Moments later she came back to them and informed Link of the next place where the water level could be changed. "It's up there," she explained, pointing to where a Hookshot target nearest to their level was placed, "and it looks like this one will raise the water up to the second level."

Link nodded. "Thanks for the help."

He unclipped the Hookshot on his belt and instructed his companions to wait on the parts where the floor was solid stone. "Because that," he said, pointing to a platform by the door, "is covering another passageway was leads to another key. We wouldn't want to miss it and have to backtrack and lower the water again and everything."

Anakin groaned, and Ashei and Obi-Wan nodded, dry expressions on their faces.

So while Link went to raise the water level, the others switched their Iron Bracelets on and readied their water filtering devices. After the song was played and the water raised, Link jumped into the water to join them, and they all filed down the gap the floating platform had left to progress down a hallway into a larger room with nothing but two ceiling grates and a crystal switch.

Deciding it was better to hit the switch at a safer distance, Link aimed for it with his Hookshot and pressed his button to unleash the spring. It flew from his hands to hit the switch, instantly bouncing back. And like he'd suspected, once it was hit, several spikes and three shell blades came raining down from the ceiling.

'_You know what to do, everyone,' _Link told his companions in what had become their primary means of communication underwater. So everyone got to work on the spikes, while Link attacked the shell blades.

Once all of the enemies were destroyed, the other grate that hadn't opened up when the crystal switch had been hit slid back with a quick scrape against stone, allowing them to progress to reach the next small key. After retrieving it, the group backtracked to the room they'd come from and surfaced in order to reach the door that would lead back outside to the main room hub room.

Looking at the map again (after destroying a nearby Tektite that was out for blood), Obi-Wan pointed out that there was still one remaining key on the east side. Link nodded.

"We should get it now before we raise or lower the water level again for the same reason as before," he said, agreeing with Obi-Wan. "How many more keys are there in this place?" Anakin asked, annoyed but genuinely curious. Link shrugged. "Not sure. We've gotten quite a few so far and we've already used some of the ones we've gotten. But there are a lot of keys and a lot of doors, so I'm just going to go and answer with… well… a lot."

He flashed a grin at Anakin, who pouted. Ashei giggled, and Anakin glared in her direction as she quickly stuck her tongue out in settlement.

"Behave you two," Obi-Wan murmured, "now let's get back in the water…"

They groaned softly, as their clothes hadn't stopped dripping water since they'd entered the freaking temple. But they slipped into the water anyway after Link had checked the compass to figure out which was the east side in order for them to get to the right side faster and reach the small key faster.

After floating back up through the room where they'd first met Ruto, they eventually surfaced on the second level area the structure had provided. On the second level was nothing but a wall to block their path, but one could hardly ignore the giant gash in the stone that was just begging to be blown up, and so Link climbed out of the water, set down the bomb, and trudged through the rubble to get the key from the chest on the other side.

And once again, there was more backtracking through to get to where they'd been before, always coming back to the main room.

"You know," Anakin muttered as they climbed back up onto the dry ledge, "I get that this is the main room and everything, but all this backtracking is just ridiculous…"

He sighed, and tried to fold his arms over his chest, and then again stuff his hands in his robe pockets, but either option was just too awkward in his wet, sticky clothing and so he simply stood there looking uncomfortable with a dark expression teasing a frown onto his face. Link shot him a pleading look.

"Just be patient, Anakin. I know it's cold, and it's wet… but we'll be out of here sooner than you think. Besides, we still have to rescue Princess Ruto, and maybe, if you're nice, I can convince her to give us a hot meal and some warm beds, yeah?"

That managed to wipe the frown off of Anakin's face at least.

"Yeah, sure. Sorry, it's just the presence of the dark side of the Force here is sort of getting to me. I'll try not to complain as much…"

"But that doesn't mean you'll stop entirely?" his master asked.

Anakin flashed a wry smile. "Of course not, Master. I have to complain a little bit at least!" Obi-Wan's expression was reluctant, but he too eventually sported a wry smile of his own. "Yeah, I thought it was too good to be true."

"Well," Link said, bringing their attention back to the map, "it looks like the way to raise the water level back to the top is through the west side, but from the notes on the map, it sounds like it's recommended that only one person go through to do it." He squinted, trying to read the spindly writing. "Eh… something about needing to stand on a really tiny platform while shooting a bow… huh." He waved them around to the lower west side, where he pointed out an exit high above them where a triforce symbol was just barely visible.

"That's where I'll come out. Will you wait for me here?"

His companions nodded. "You're the only one who can actually raise the water anyway," said Ashei, "since none of us really play an instrument but you." She paused, and then added, "Portable instruments, anyway…"

So they waited for him to return and raise the water level, which he did.

"Are you… okay?" Ashei asked him as he climbed up to the ledge of the third level after the water had risen. He shook his head. "The map's notes failed to warn me about the stupid Tektite that tried to jump on me and eat my brains as soon as I stepped on the geyser. I think I'll just say… no."

He sighed, but even as he did so, the smile he'd brought to Ashei's lips made him smile in return. "Now," he told his friends, "let's enter that door over there and start using all these keys we've been collecting, yeah?"

Thus the four of them ended up filing into a wide but small hallway that led to a sloping waterfall that splashed into a dark oblivion below them, platforms cycling down the waterfall and eventually disappearing into the void. Ashei and Link picked off the nearby Keese with their bows before they got any closer to have a look at the room.

"There are Hookshot targets on those platforms," Link mused, idly scraping off more rust from his chain. "But they look like they're moving pretty quickly…" He leaned down over the edge to spot a stationary platform below them on the slope, just above another platform moving below it on a track.

"I could do it, I think," he said, pointing to the door on the other side, "what about you guys?"

"We'd have to Force jump, right Master?" Anakin guessed. Obi-Wan nodded.

"Yes. Ashei as well, since you're the only one with a Hookshot, Link." Link nodded. "Of course. Trying to carry anyone of you or tossing it back and forth could be potentially deadly." Beside him, Ashei blushed at the thought of having her arms around Link as they shot across the water. Already knowing what the feel of his muscles felt like beneath her fingers, it was difficult to keep her cheeks from burning as her body temperature rose beneath her clothing, the sticky, wet fabric not helping to rid her mind of the images.

Thus the three of them who could jump began scaling up the steadily descending platforms, while Link shot up after them.

Even going it alone proved dangerous for the young hero, however, since he nearly missed the last target, ending up hanging by a few fingers that were slowly slipping until a thin, strong hand clasped around his left arm to pull him up, a startlingly worried expression easing into the young woman's face.

"Are you all right?" she asked. "You could have slipped…"

Link flashed her a comforting grin. "I would have only slipped back onto the platform I'd come from. No worries." She seemed comforted, but the pout still remained, teasing a smile from Link's lips.

"But what if you were unconscious?"

"Then you would save me, right?" he replied quickly. Then he blinked. How had he meant to say that? Surely he was only reassuring himself that she would do as her mission commanded? He cleared his throat and, blushing, looked away. "Right…?"

Ashei nodded dumbly as Link passed her to go unlock the next door.

"Right…" she whispered.

Obi-Wan glanced between the two, wondering at the change between them. If it was as he suspected, a few days ago he would have promptly made an attempt to discourage it. But now, he wasn't so sure. He knew that despite whatever this was that was developing between Link and Ashei; it wasn't hindering their ability to fight at all. In fact, it seemed to spur them on. So naturally he stayed quiet, though he was beginning to wonder if he should confront at least one of them about the issue…

His thoughts trailed off as he saw the complex expanse of the room he'd just walked into. Dragon statues littered the area, and a single crystal switch sat in the middle of the room, which presumably changed both the height of the statues and the level of the water.

"I'd suggest getting rid of those Tektites first," Ashei suggested. "They'll give you trouble once you raise the water." Link nodded, all business again.

"I agree. Let's pick them off first and then we'll decide what to do next."

So one by one the Tektites in the water fell apart and burned in a blaze of fiery white-blue glory.

Ashei stared at the platform on the other side that lay just beneath the hallway they needed to reach in order to progress. "That platform there is higher than the others," she pointed out. "We'll need to jump across these gaps to get over there…"

"Meaning Link will have to hit the switch a couple times for us to traverse these platforms?" Anakin asked, managing to put the pieces together. Link nodded. "Ashei could do it too, but arrows are precious and not to be wasted." Ashei chuckled. "Despite the fact that they somehow appear when you're smashing pots you expect to be empty?"

This managed to tease a small smile from Link.

"Of course. Besides, most pots are made that way, aren't they?"

Ashei shrugged. "I think so. I don't really make pots, so I don't know. They're also supposed to have incredible regeneration properties for inanimate objects. It's very bizarre."

"Can we stop talking about pots and get moving?" Anakin muttered, doing his best not to complain for once. Thus began the long process of hitting the switch and jumping from platform to platform along the way. Finally, they were able to make it to the large hallway that would allow them to progress, where they were ambushed by two Tektites that were easily dispatched.

The Like Like on the other side of the spikes, however, presented a problem.

Obi-Wan tapped the tan-colored spikes. "Our lightsabers might cut through this, but I can't be sure… and they're too high to shoot over, am I correct?"

Link nodded. "But, wait… I want to try something. Step back, please."

His three companions stared at him with varying emotions, but he ignored them as he drew his sword and arched his arm back in preparation for a spin. But he called upon his magic, and the energy of the Force to help him. Something… inside him shifted, as both energies found a strange balance in his core, and he felt the metal of the sword burn beneath his hands.

His eyes, which had previously been closed, opened instantly, and he swung the sword around as bolts of energy trailed in its wake. Once he'd followed through with the kinetic energy of the spin, he turned around to see his companions staring at him, and not the melting pile of Like Like behind him.

"Um…" he began eloquently, "ah… what?"

Ashei blinked, and Obi-Wan cleared his throat, but Anakin was the first to speak. "We… well, I… I thought I saw your sword become a lightsaber for a second there. As you were spinning."

"It wasn't just you, Anakin," Obi-Wan managed to say, "I'm fairly certain I saw it as well, though I can't say how it was possible…"

"There _was_ a shift in the Force," Ashei said quietly, "but regardless of what we saw or might have seen, we've still got to progress, right? Perhaps we can investigate the phenomenon later, when we're not quite so pressed for time?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "That seems best. Though I would proceed with caution. There is much foul energy beyond that door…"

This was true, for everyone could feel it flowing through the cracks in invisible, poisonous waves, crawling towards them to latch onto their boots and leech the energy from their life force. Link scowled at it, and it mostly left him alone. He also left the Master Sword hanging limp in his right hand, though his muscles were tensed for a fight as he opened the door to enter the room on the other side…

.oOo.

At first, all he saw was white.

Then, once his eyes adjusted to the light, he looked around at his surroundings. Or rather, a _lack_ of them…

Link frowned. Something wasn't right here.

He took one step into the room and a splashing sound told him that the floor of this room was full of water. Not a lot of it, but enough that when he looked down, he could see him reflection in it. A few more steps forward, and he was rewarded with a familiar scraping sound of iron bars slamming against the stone floor. He looked around as he usually did; only he was disturbed by the fact that he appeared to be genuinely and truly alone in this room.

He ran his right hand through his hair, acutely aware that it was shaking.

"Navi?" he asked quietly. A small head popped out from beneath his hat, looking around. "Hey, where is everyone else?" Link let out a low breath to keep himself calm. He hadn't felt this nervous since he'd first fought Gohma on the inside of the Great Deku Tree.

"That's just it… I don't know. I can… sense their life forces, but…"

"They're faint. Huh." Navi thought for a moment as Link examined the door, which just appeared to be a door framed by shimmering blue stone set in the middle of this bizarre watery nowhere. He stretched out his hand to feel at the air that he was certain surrounding the door, but his fingers brushed against something that shouldn't be there…

"It's an illusion!" Navi whispered. Link stepped back, the touch of the stone beneath his fingers where air should have been felt disconcerting, so he turned away from it to glance warily at the door on the other side beyond the tree.

"A pretty damn good one," he muttered. "How much do you want to bet that locked door is part of it?"

Navi shrugged even though he couldn't see. "You won't know until you try."

Well, that was true enough.

So he took a few slow and steady steps through the water, first approaching the island between the two doors as he tossed ideas about the origin of the illusion with Navi.

"Are the others experiencing the same illusion?" he wondered aloud, "Or are they different for each person?" Navi sighed. "We won't know until we can dispel it. And who cast it anyway? That creature?" Link shrugged. "For all we know, it's entirely possible. After all, it froze Zora's Domain."

That was also true.

But as they passed the island with the tree, Link felt something inside of him tear, and he paused, stumbling, leaning against the tree with more force than he'd have liked to. "What the hell was that?" he gasped, pressing a hand against the chain mail on his chest. Navi, unsure of what to do, wriggled out from underneath his hat to flutter close to his face in her tiny humanoid form, a worried expression plastered to her own.

"It felt like my heart was trying to rip itself from my body…"

Link shuddered, and he quickly sought the calm solace of the Force to steady himself. Within its soothing presence, he was able to regain his balance and sense of self, using it to repair the hole that whatever had been taken from him had left. He breathed it in, his senses going into overdrive as the influx of new energy began to settle inside his core. Once he felt that he was stable enough to keep going, he sensed something beginning to stir, some energy nearby, no matter that he had no idea what nearby was…

Something prompted him to look down at the water after he was a few steps away from the locked door. He wasn't sure, but he was fairly certain that it had been the Force's warning, like a pressure nudging at his mind. Then he gasped as what he saw.

"Navi, my reflection is gone!"

"Link, look out!"

.oOo.

When the door closed behind Anakin, the world was completely dark.

At least, it seemed that way for quite a while, but then a light appeared in the darkness, a light in the form of a lantern that he'd often hung in his home as a child, now hanging on an out reaching limb on the scrawny tree to which it was tacked. He frowned at it, but he was glad for it all the same.

He also noted the level of water around the small island, which was a little disturbing, particularly since he thought he could hear things moving in the distant shadows where the dark side of the Force lay in deeper concentrations.

_What trick is this?_ He thought.

Anakin knew that the Force could be used to send or plant visions in someone's head. Perhaps the same was true for the dark side?

If that was so, then the dark side was even more serious than he thought. He shivered, the small warmth of the lantern above him making him very aware of just how cold and wet he actually was. Regardless, he leaned back against the tree and reached deep inside himself for any connection to the Force he could find. Luckily, there was one available, and it was more than willing to provide him with comfort against the cold.

But once he was comfortable, his senses began to get the better of him. The sounds he was hearing in the darkness: the dripping water, the scuttling pattering and clicking feet and claws, the large footsteps and swishing… wait.

The swishing was new.

It turned out that the swishing was coming from a long dark cloak that passed through the water as it dragged, looking for all the world like it had risen from the water to clothe the person who now wore it.

Though, Anakin wasn't so certain that it was a person, despite the fact that it stood on two legs and appeared to be breathing… sort of.

The person who wore the cloak that looked like it was a part of the water itself also wore a tight suit of fine cloth and machine parts. Their helmet was connected to the machine, and it appeared to help the person breathe, though the harsh sounds it made while exhaling through its triangular filter were very disconcerting and troubled Anakin greatly.

"W-Who are you?" he managed to ask the person with a voice that trembled in fear. He attempted to grasp for anything to soothe the fear within the Force, but nothing came. It appeared as though he would have to deal with his fear on his own.

From the person before him came a low, robotic chuckling. There was no reply to Anakin's question.

Instead, the person reached into their cloak with their right hand – a robotic one, no less – and pulled a lightsaber from it. Anakin pushed away from the tree, a dark feeling sinking in his gut. Force vision or not, he had a feeling that this person could seriously hurt him if he wasn't careful.

"You want to fight?" His voice was steadier, but since coming to Hyrule and fighting alongside Link, he'd learned to be cautious when fighting others.

Still there was no vocal reply to Anakin's question, but the person chuckled again and switched on the lightsaber. The blade that appeared glowed a bright, vibrant red, and he knew that color could only mean one thing: a Sith! With that realization, something in the air changed, and the other warrior leapt forward with a wide, cutting slash. Anakin managed to jump back, but the sand he'd been standing on had thrown his balance and forced him to jump sideways around the tree, clinging to a small branch to keep himself from falling backwards into the water.

Quickly he drew his own lightsaber, which glowed a bright green.

Anakin proceeded to test the waters and return the original attack, but the other seemed to have been expecting it and parried it. He managed to make enough advances on the other warrior so that they now fought on the lantern side of the tree, but the warrior remained as cool and unrelenting as the darkness around them.

It was when Anakin felt the despair welling up in his gut that he made a crucial mistake and he allowed his left side to be open for attack. The warrior jabbed, and Anakin attempted a guard, but the other fighter disarmed him and sent his lightsaber straight for the sand on the island.

He knew that he desperately wanted to go for his lightsaber, for he didn't feel like he could really fight without it… but then something made him remember his days as a child on Tatooine, brawling and fighting with the other kids. He hadn't had a lightsaber then. He didn't need one. And he didn't need one now. So, he did what any sensible person fighting for their life without a weapon would do: he tackled his assailant.

Down they went into the darkness, light falling in comforting waves at Anakin's back as they slammed against the cool water and hard stone. His assailant's helmet flew off for all the force the impact provided, and even as they were falling towards the floor, Anakin had shouted, "Who are you?!"

However, the face that the helmet revealed was not one he had expected to see. He'd expected something generic, or perhaps someone he'd ticked off, or someone from the Temple or the Senate. But no… the face the helmet revealed to him was essentially a mirror of his own face, just older and sharper. The muscles had filled in and the eyes and jaw were well set into a more mature version of himself. Yet his dark hair was tangled and wild, his face pale and sunken from exertion or excessive abuse of power Anakin knew not. But what disturbed him most about his mirror image were the eyes.

There was no mercy in them, no forgiveness. No life at all within their sharp, yellow, hollowed depths. This image… terrified him. Very much.

And then it laughed.

"I am Darth Vader, chosen one!" a poor imitation of his own voice called in lament, "Look upon your future! See what your heart desires! This is the true power of the dark side!"

And suddenly the terror-stricken Anakin was thrown from where he'd landed, and with a sudden thwack! he felt his head crack against the bottom of the tree and his body landed curled upon the sand. His heart was racing, he didn't know what was happening and he couldn't move! Where was Obi-Wan?

_Obi-Wan!_ He cried, forcing his voice to reach past the limits of wherever this hell existed. _Obi-Wan!_

.oOo.

It was the strangest thing to know you were walking upon a stone floor with water licking at the edges of your boots, but to not actually be able to see the water or the floor you were standing on.

It was also disconcerting to appear as though you were floating in midair on an invisible platform while watching a scenario that absolutely terrified you but made no sense without context. For to his immediate knowledge, the Force vision or whatever this was; couldn't seem to be able to produce any voices, or he simply wasn't hearing them.

Either way, Obi-Wan could truly and honestly admit to himself that he was absolutely terrified. He hated heights.

The scene below him looked to be set on a volcanic planet, possibly one of the outer rim ones he'd never been to, and two people below were having a lightsaber duel on the rocky terrain right next to the flowing lava. When the vision had initially come up, he hadn't recognized either of the people fighting below, but eventually the faces became familiar to him and a sinking feeling shot like ice-fire through his heart.

One of the duelists was him. An older and harder version of his current self. His older self appeared to be in pain, both physical and emotional, which when Obi-Wan saw whom he was fighting, made complete sense.

He was fighting Anakin. At least this was the person he perceived as Anakin. With the ragged darkness that clung to this older version of his padawan with his wild ragged hair waving about his face, yellow eyes blazing with an evil fire that frightened Obi-Wan to his core, it was hard to think of the man his older self fought as Anakin at all.

What did this mean?

Shuddering away as the corrupted Anakin was stricken down by the older version of himself, leaving the young man to burn in the lava, he closed his eyes in the hopes of burning the vision out of his mind. But alas, as always the will of the Force worked in strange ways, bringing the vision he'd just witnessed to the forefront of his mind and wouldn't budge.

_Obi-Wan!_

His eyes snapped open. What was that?

_Obi-Wan!_

The voice was louder in his head now, and he recognized it as Anakin's voice. His padawan was in trouble. He could dwell more on the vision later.

"What is it, Anakin? Where are you?"

Fear. It flooded him in waves as the link between the master and padawan was thrust open with a strange display of complete trust Anakin rarely allowed between them. It seeped into his pores and sped up his breathing, as he knew it was doing to Anakin, making his hands shake and his legs jittery.

_I need your help, Master…_

Obi-Wan took deep breaths and did his best to send calming waves through the Force directed at his padawan. Even though he was standing in complete darkness, surely his padawan was somewhere nearby, scared out of his wits for whatever reason, possibly facing his own terrifying vision.

"Anakin, I need you to listen to me. Can you do that?"

Silence. Then a small…

_Yes, I think I can._

"Anakin, whatever you are seeing, it is but an illusion. It is a fear that is consuming you. Only you can defeat it and conquer it, Anakin."

_But I can't fight myself!_

Ah, there was his padawan's usual irritating wit. It did confuse him, but perhaps the room was playing tricks on his padawan's mind, as it had done to him. Surely it was nothing more than that.

"You can, Anakin. It is only an illusion. I have faith that you can dispel it."

And slowly, a light began to emerge from the darkness.

.oOo.

Ashei was alone. But hadn't she always been?

Grey mists hung about her like a thick fog as she stood beside the only thing for miles: a sickly stick thing that dared to call itself a tree. Her wet boots dug into the sand that surrounded it. Upon closer inspection, she thought she could see doors somewhere in the mists, but she seemed to have lost the ability to care. How long had she been here? Where _was _everyone?

Suddenly, she realized why the feeling of being alone disturbed her so much.

She wasn't supposed to be alone. Her friends… Anakin, Obi-Wan, and…

Link. Where was he?

She frowned at the bits of water that sloshed at the sand beneath her feet. This wasn't right at all. The others had entered the room with her, right? Link had even entered the room first! Right…?

Her heart began to speed up just a little bit faster, and her body began to sweat. She could feel the cool mists nipping at the perspiration at her palms.

Why did being alone bother her so much? It never had before.

'_That was before I met Anakin and Obi-Wan,' _she mused, _'Before Link and this Din forsaken quest…'_

She hadn't needed much contact with others beyond that Auru had allowed her to have. She'd had her flowers to keep her company.

"But flowers can't talk, can they?"

Ashei gasped and turned whirled around, taking a few steps back when her eyes locked with another pair… her own. Before her stood her reflection, an exact copy that was scarily correct right down to the bound hair and clingy wet clothes. She tilted her head slightly, for a moment curious at whether or not her reflection accurately represented her curves and… assets, but she quickly shook it off and allowed her muscles to tense in preparation for a fight, glaring fiercely at her strange double.

"They didn't need to," Ashei replied in kind, slowly, almost deliberately.

Wait. Upon closer inspection, her double seemed to be missing the earrings that Impa had given her. Hmm…

"Oh, but you crave company, don't you? You always have. Always talking to those stupid flowers as if they could transform themselves into your stupid parents or tell you why they'd abandoned such a stupid little girl like you–"

"Now you shut up!" Ashei snapped. "That's not true! My mother is dead!"

The copy grinned evilly. "And what about your father?"

Ashei's gut twisted as an icy knot formed inside her. Hot tears began to well up in her eyes. "He's… dead too." So she thought. But there had always been that one doubt in the back of her mind, that one stray thought…

Her double just laughed darkly.

"Believe what you want, you idiot girl. It doesn't matter, though. You can't depend on those flowers now can you? Being with people is much more… addicting." A sick, sly smile formed on her reflection's thin lips. "Especially _this_ person…" Ashei gasped when Link's form appeared out of the fog, but something wasn't quite right… where was his armor? Why was he in his green tunic?

"What have you done to him?" she snarled. "You let him go!"

A chuckle was all she got in reply. Her double ignored her pleas, and instead placed her right arm around Link's shoulders, the hand settling on his right, rubbing against it with a smooth, seductive grace. Her left hand reached for his chest, and that hand too rubbed against the cloth with more abandon than Ashei could stand, but she was frozen in place.

By the time her doppelganger's left hand had made it up to the strings of the white shirt beneath Link's tunic, Ashei was positively boiling with rage. Her copy grinned at her sideways, her fingers undoing the strings and trailing the skin and muscles of his chest and neck while she leaned in to press her face against the spot where his neck and shoulders met, her nose brushing the skin.

"He's such a handsome young man, isn't he?" she purred, continuing to taunt Ashei with her movements. "Quite the addiction, to be sure…"

A soft chuckle, and Ashei's double moved to press her lips to Link's neck and jaw line, but strangely, none of this elicited any reaction from Link at all. Ashei's blind rage prevented her from noticing this, however, as her double's left hand stopped stroking the skin of Link's chest to trail in the same direction as her lips, which also paused in their ministrations to taunt Ashei again to rile her up even further.

"What fine lips he has… so soft." Another chuckle rumbled from her throat, and Ashei managed a low growl in return. Her double laughed softly. "Poor, pitiful Ashei… the virgin lips of her lover have yet to be kissed, and she is unable to do anything about it? For shame!" The fingers that had been trailing up Link's neck now grasped his chin and turned it toward her double's face.

"I think… this situation needs rectifying. I shall do it for you, then. It's the least I can do." And slowly, she began to pull down his lips to hers, and Ashei was about to release a scream of anger and rage and rain down her fury upon this thing that dared to lay a finger on her charge and – she noticed it.

Link's ears were missing their loops. It dawned on her then: this was all an illusion. But just as quickly as her anger had faded, it came rushing back in spades, though it flowed with her rather than against her, and just as her reflection's lips were about to touch with the other illusion's, Ashei's white sword came crashing down upon them and turned their bodies to dust upon a nonexistent wind. She breathed deeply to steady herself, terrified of what the feelings that burned in her blood really meant, but knowing that she could ignore them no longer, not after that.

And that was when she heard another voice.

"Link, look out!"

Ashei whipped around, and there was Link again, but this time, she knew that what she was seeing was real. However, that didn't mean she had to like what she was seeing…

She gripped her sword tighter.

_No one_ was going to harm her charge. Not on her watch.

.oOo.

Anakin scrambled to his feet, his hand calling for his lightsaber in the sand. It came to him without question, and he whirled on his assailant.

Something deep in his gut told him that this is what he would one day become if he let his fears control his actions. He couldn't let that happen, not when his Master finally had faith in his ability to do something _right_ for a change…

He was _not_ going to let down Obi-Wan now.

"You know what?" He told his fears, "I'm not about to let you control me – I'm better than that! Get lost!"

The expression on the face of his older self was absolutely priceless, yet Anakin couldn't bring himself to use his lightsaber to smite the figure before him. It wasn't the way of the Jedi to slaughter unless absolutely necessary, and even though he knew that this was an illusion, he couldn't let himself sink down to that level.

_Will of the force,_ he thought to himself, _show me the way!_

The light above them flickered, drawing both of their attentions to the flame within the lantern. Cracks begin appearing in the glass, and Anakin only just managed to shield his eyes before it burst into millions of tiny little pieces that were left to fall into nothing.

Anakin grinned, knowing exactly what he had to do.

.oOo.

Obi-Wan watched as his padawan reached for the lantern lodged in the branch above him. It fell into his waiting hand effortlessly, and the older version of Anakin that Obi-Wan had glimpsed in his vision now backed away in fear.

He thought Anakin would advance and gloat, but no.

Without any preamble, Anakin threw the lantern towards his older self, and as the fire began to consume its target, the world turned to white.

.oOo.

Link's blade clashed against steel as another pressed its weight against him. His heart thudded in his chest and he parried out of habit, but the figure before him stood exactly has he stood.

It was but a shadow that took his form, with nothing but a vague shape to even suggest that it was human, accompanied by little but a sword, a shield and a pair of eerie red eyes. This image terrified him and at once he knew _why_. This creature was the thing that had torn itself from his heart and stolen his reflection, _this_ was the thing that had once made him relish his first kill at the fall of Queen Gohma, _this_… was the embodiment of the darkness in his soul.

However, though it might have been but a shadow, it clearly showed its own initiative and was not to be taken lightly. It shadowed his movements when he attacked, but with obvious partiality he was unable to mirror the movements of his shadow.

Again and again their blades clashed, but Link quickly found himself tiring despite his usual strength and endurance… and that was when the thought crossed his mind.

He was going to die here.

_CRASH!_

Just before his shadowy double was about to swing his blade upon Link's battered shield once more did something come along in a great blur to tackle the thing to the ground. A growl ripping from her throat and eyes blazing with emotions he couldn't name, there stood Ashei as she rolled away to pick up her blade where it had fallen.

His shadow growled in return, and Ashei's eyes narrowed.

"Ashei?" Link breathed, afraid that if he spoke too loud she would snap. Instead, however, the sound of his voice seemed to calm her, and the moment her eyes locked with his, that strange connection that they shared flared to life again.

'_Link, we've got to work together!'_

The shadow had finally remembered who its real target was and was beginning to advance on him once more, twitching its fingers and flexing its muscles as a hissing sound that might perhaps have been a substitute for a laugh leaked out of its mouth in a slow stream.

'_But how? This creature mirrors my movements! I can't do a thing!'_

Her eyes softened, and the intensity of emotion in those grey depths was so astonishing that Link felt his cheeks burn with warmth.

'_Just trust me Link… please.'_

And immediately Link's stomach dropped to the floor, though because of the sudden force of his enemy's blade upon his own or by the subtle declaration that such a trust implied. He fought back, trusting Ashei exactly as she had asked of him, and eventually the shadow cried out in pain before him even though he hadn't done a thing.

His first thought was… had Ashei done that? And then a second quickly followed after: the shadow could be harmed. Hurt. _Killed._

He took a jab, and the Master Sword glowed fiercely as it passed through the shadow's right arm. It fell through the floor in a heap of vile dark wisps, only for Link to sense it appearing behind him moments later. He whirled, Ashei circled around, and the process began again. But the shadow was smart. It began to catch on to Link's jabs and was able to block them after a fashion. It was only after Link finally unleashed his ultimate spin attack that when the shadow went down, Link couldn't sense it rising up anywhere behind him.

Anywhere behind… wait… where was Ashei?

Link spun around, the splashing of the water a thundering to his ears after what had seemed to him like a soundless battle. The sight that greeted him was what he had hoped to see: Ashei standing there, waiting for him…

Only to be trapped in the arms of his shadow moments later, a naked blade at her exposed throat.

Link took a step forward, but the creature hissed in laughter.

"Take one sssstep," it said, its words sizzling as it spoke, "and sssshe diessss!" It somehow gained a mouth and it grinned that predator's grin, hissing again in the form of a cackle. Link was suddenly flooded with a surge of possessiveness he had never felt for Ashei before now, and the sudden presence of emotion almost terrified him more than the situation itself.

'_Ashei,'_ he whispered, his heart thudding against his chest, _'what do I do?'_

One look told him that she didn't even know. Link reflexively let out a soft sob, tears he couldn't fathom the origin of rolling down his cheeks, and he let his sword drop to the ground in defeat.

"Yessss… thatssss it," his shadow chuckled, "give up. Ssssurrrrenderr…"

Another emotion shot through him: anger, white-hot flashing across the skin of his face and down his spine. He wasn't about to surrender to this thing, not while it still had Ashei in its hands. Suddenly he wanted nothing more than to save her and take her into his arms with the creature at his feet, neck snapped to the side and its blood spilling out across the water…

_No._

He blinked. Had that thought been his? He wasn't sure. All he knew was that his anger had left him and little else remained in its place except exhaustion and sorrow. Anguish began to seep into him again, and he knew that if he let himself stand there and go down that road again, he'd only drive himself mad with anger he couldn't use.

Anger wasn't the solution to the problem. Then… what was? What was so powerful, but less volatile than anger?

After a moment's thought and a thorough search of his options, he knew that there was such a solution, but it would require the most absolute, most complete calm he'd ever attempted. He frowned, wondering if anyone could immerse themselves so far and come out alive. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath, slowly taking another one in, and again letting it out.

After a long period of nothing but breathing in the quiet silence of pure darkness, Link reached deep into the Force with his magic, gathering as much energy to him as he could.

Then he opened his eyes, and he took a step forward.

The world shifted around him as the magic of wind rushed through his blood like wildfire. He held tight to his core with all his might, and suddenly his sword was with him, his connection to the Force making it fall into his hands like a faithful dog willing to do the deeds its master wanted of it. Link's already hard beating heart beat even faster despite the calm of the Force that clung to him to keep his life force intact, and it poured into the Master Sword as the world around him began to come back into focus.

Though all this happened in but an instant, Link could almost see the blade change its shape as it cut through the dimensions to shear his shadow's body into dust, the length of metal blurring into a column of pure and unfiltered light. It blinded him, and he had to let go of the blade to shield his eyes.

Suddenly the world was no longer bright and the illusion began to fade away, as Link wasted no time in grabbing Ashei's shoulders and turning her around so that he could pull her close to him at last.

.oOo.

Obi-Wan walked up next to Anakin shortly after the world had returned to focus. It seemed they were still trapped in an illusion, but Obi-Wan guessed that might be because either Link or Ashei had yet to break free of theirs.

He noticed that his padawan was shivering once he arrived, and it was not simply because he was cold.

"Anakin? Are you all right?"

Anakin turned on him, and it appeared as if the boy was seeing him for the first time, so it was a surprise to Obi-Wan when moments later he found himself being clung to by his terrified padawan.

"I… am not certain, Master," Anakin muttered through a series of slow, deliberate breaths that Anakin appeared to be employing as a sort of method of calming himself, which made Obi-Wan realize the seriousness of the situation. "I just… want to know if… you saw what I just did?"

"What, the creepy older version of you?"

Anakin pulled away and frowned at him. "Master, I'm being serious."

Obi-Wan sighed. "So am I. Forgive me, Anakin, I did not mean to be rude." Anakin nodded, and he sighed, closing his eyes while massaging the bridge of his nose with both hands.

"But, you did see…?"

"Yes, I did."

Silence. When it appeared that Anakin wasn't going to continue, Obi-Wan did so instead with, "In my vision, I saw older versions of ourselves fighting on a volcanic planet. I was the winner of the duel and I left that… version of you to die in the lava."

Anakin grimaced. "That doesn't sound fun…"

Obi-Wan scoffed. "I doubt it was. However, I couldn't bear to watch it any longer so I do not know whether you lived or died at all."

And again there was more silence; however this time Anakin seemed more inclined to share what he had seen.

"That vision you saw might very well be a vision of the future, Master," Anakin said quietly. "Because when I asked who my attacker was before I knew him to be myself… he replied afterwards that he was my future as a Sith Lord of the Dark Side." In a rare display of thought and pensiveness, Anakin stared out at the water for a long time before turning back to Obi-Wan.

"Master, please promise me that you won't let me become that man…"

Obi-Wan stared into the frightened eyes of his padawan and knew that there was nothing else that he could do _but_ promise it. Force, please let him be allowed to keep that promise – he couldn't handle it if he were to fail his padawan in that regard.

"Of course I promise, Anakin."

And then the fog around them cleared, allowing them to watch the end of Link's duel with his shadow self.

"H-How… how did he do that?" Anakin gasped as the world around them dissipated into a simple room made of the same shimmering blue stone the rest of the temple had been made out of. Obi-Wan wasn't sure. "I think something more than the Force was involved, but… I don't know." He glanced around the room.

"So the illusion was nothing more than that… how very odd," he observed, making Anakin momentarily take note of it as well.

However, while his padawan was still focused on the true identity of the room, his gaze trailed towards their two companions still standing close to one another, lost in a world all their own. He'd guessed at their feelings, and he doubted that they themselves understood anything about it, but as he'd mentioned to himself before, perhaps – for them – this was a more beneficial arrangement since they worked so well together.

"Master?" Anakin asked, still clueless to what was happening between their companions, "Should we ask them if they want to continue, or…?"

Hmm. Perhaps the boy was more perceptive than he thought.

"Let us tarry a moment more, perhaps," he muttered, which earned him an incredulous look from his padawan. "But, Master, I thought you said that attachments were… bad?" Obi-Wan scoffed lightly.

"It has been brought to my attention that perhaps certain attachments with certain people aren't necessarily so." At this, he shot a warning glare in Anakin's direction. "However padawan, that does not mean I will let you go gallivanting about the galaxy with every pretty girl that pleases you, Jedi or otherwise. I made the mistake of that once."

"You, Master?" Anakin asked skeptically. Obi-Wan sighed. "Yes. And I shall tell you about it another time. When we return to the Temple, perhaps." That seemed to placate his curious padawan from further questions.

Finally, when Ashei appeared to be stepping away from Link, Obi-Wan took it as his signal that it was time to move on.

.oOo.

When the blade had been pressed to her neck, she felt fear at first, and then sorrow for the devastated expression Link wore when he seemed to realize that there was nothing he could do. He even asked her if there was anything, anything at all, but her lack of response seemed to do it for him.

And then she felt nothing at all.

It was a strange bliss, just standing there waiting to die, but death seemed inevitable from the beginning, and it had only been a matter of time before her skills and luck abandoned her. So there she remained, quiet and calm.

At least, that was how she remained until a whirling flash of magic and Force blasted her senses to appear behind her, and the sword at her throat fell away into nothingness. A pair of strong, gloved hands grabbed her shoulders and turned her the opposite direction, only to bring her close before she even had time to realize that she was safe.

Link. Link was holding her in his arms, and he was holding her as though it was the last time he would ever do so. Was that… his lips brushing against her neck? She shuddered beneath his touch, her senses still rattled from her brush with death.

Goddesses, he really needed to stop _doing_ that! It was driving her insane!

Her own hands began to have a life of their own now, and they snaked their way around his armor to worm their way into his dripping wet hair. Without thinking, she dried his hair with the same spell she'd used the other night, and the energy it used made her body tingle in places that she didn't even know _could_ tingle…

"Goddesses," Link whispered, his hot breath ghosting the hairs of her neck, "I thought you were going to die…" She felt his eyelashes brush against the tender part of her cheek as he leaned back to whisper at her ear, and where his face pressed against hers Ashei could feel and smell the salty tang of tears.

"So did I," she whispered in kind as Link pulled away just enough so that she could see his eyes, once again made all the more vibrant for their tears.

"Ashei?" he asked quietly, "What is this… thing between us? I must know. Earlier I thought it to be affection, however… my reactions at even the possibility of your death have driven me to this, and I suspect that what I feel now is stronger than that." Ashei's lips trembled, and yet she noticed that his gaze was focused on her eyes and not her lips. There was yet another reminder that Link had no idea what he was doing, but as Link had pointed out, their feelings for each other had now gone past the point of affection.

"I wish I had a word to put to it," Ashei said truthfully, "but I suppose I cannot ignore this any longer." Her face became slightly pained, and immediately Link began worrying at her by automatically stroking her face, a gesture that surprised even him once he realized it.

"Perhaps, then… we should speak later?" he offered. "There is still the rest of the temple yet to cover." Ashei nodded in agreement and stepped away.

"Yes, I think that would be best." She presented him with a tender smile, and that, in return, seemed to lift both their spirits as Anakin and Obi-Wan approached the two of them.

"So," began Anakin in his usual casual tone, "that was some test, huh?"

Link frowned. "I think it might have been the creature of the temple playing tricks on our minds, but perhaps not. There were other forces at work here." Ashei nodded. "Regardless of what happened here now, though, we've still got ground to cover since we haven't even found the big key yet. Why don't we head on through the next door and start doing that?"

It wasn't that hard for everyone to agree.

The room containing the temple's treasure had a similar opening in the back to act as a kind of door to the next area. However in the center of the room stood a tall platform with a fine cloth draped over it. Ashei removed the cloth for Link and pocketed it for later examination, revealing a brilliantly shining chain curled next to a scroll with more spindly Zora writings.

"For those who desire to enter the bathing chamber on the third level," Link read, "use this chain. It is made of white gold, and shall not tarnish due to exposure to water or shatter under heavy weight. It may also be used in conjunction with a Hookshot, at which point it shall become a Longshot."

Link grinned, and Ashei smiled softly as she watched his face light up with pure joy. "Now I have a chain that won't tarnish when exposed to water! This is great!"

He quickly emptied his Hookshot of its rust bitten chain, reloading it with the new one of stronger white gold.

"So what do we do with the old chain?" Anakin asked. Ashei took it from Link and pocketed it as well.

"I can find someone in Kakariko who might buy it as scrap metal in exchange for a little money. Even rusty chains like this will fetch a decent price these days for someone who needs to transport goods. Oil is easy to come by, so the rust could be managed, but metal itself – even rusty metal – is a rare commodity since Ganondorf has been monopolizing on the metal trades for years." Link nodded slowly as she'd been speaking.

"It makes sense. Well, it's good that we found this, since we're running low on spare rupees…"

Ashei couldn't agree more, and once Link was finished, they continued through the gap in the floor to progress through the temple. They landed on a ledge of wooden planks that bordered a small river deep beneath the temple.

"Those vortexes shouldn't be here, I think…" Ashei murmured. "It wouldn't be wise to get close to them." Obi-Wan nodded. "So what should we do then? Just follow the river without using our Iron Bracelets and avoiding the vortexes?"

Link nodded as he studied the area around the vortexes.

"That would be best, seeing how steep it is next to the vortexes. Any one of us could fall and get trapped down there, maybe even die." He got quiet after that, to which Ashei responded with a wordless touch on his left shoulder.

So it was decided they would swim, but avoid using their Iron Bracelets and swimming into the vortexes at all costs. This… was definitely easier said than done when all four of them were still exhausted from the earlier fights and the strain each of their trails had cost them. But, even after nearly drowning in one of the vortexes near a ledge, they all made it to a spot where they could plot their next move.

"Where are we, exactly?" Anakin asked quietly. "I mean this looks like where all the water from the lake could be going…"

Ashei frowned as Link poured over the map next to her.

"That's entirely possible. I get the feeling that those vortexes aren't usually there on a daily basis. The creature in the temple is probably causing them as well." She edged closer to Link so she could look at the map.

"See anything useful?" Link glanced in her direction and cleared his throat as he folded the map back up and stuffed into one of his pockets.

"Whether or not that thing made those vortexes isn't something we can confirm, but I know for sure because that gate," he pointed to the gold-plated one on the other side of another vortex, "leads to the room where Princess Ruto was taken." He squinted. "It looks like I could use my Longshot to get over there quickly, but all of you…"

Ashei sighed. "We'll go swimming again. Just wait until we're right next to the ledge before you hit the switch." Link nodded as his companions slipped into the water and carefully worked their way around the vortex. Once they were close enough to the wall by the gate that they could get in quickly, he took his Longshot and an arrow in one hand and he held his bow in the other, shooting the eye target on the wall opposite him first, and then the chest on the other side of the gate second, quickly (though slightly clumsily) shifting between weapons and the hands holding them.

He did, however, manage to make it to the other side before the gate came crashing down again, which he was thankful for.

"I really ought to learn how to fight with both hands," he mused, flexing his right hand as he studied it. "You know, just in case something happens to my left." Ashei shrugged. "Or you could get it replaced with some mecha tech, depending on what happens to it. Sometimes if you just get it cut off, they can reattach it and have a bunch of nanites that dissolve in plasma rework your nerve endings. I've never seen it done, but I've never heard of anyone dying from it either."

Link frowned as he pocketed the small key that had been in the chest he'd used as a target. "Well, that's comforting."

Ashei laughed.

So with the small key in hand, the four of them made it back to the main room where the water level was still at its highest point.

"Where do we go from here?" Obi-Wan asked as they all stood upon the center platform while Link looked at the map again. Link hummed noncommittally. "Well, the path that leads to the last small key is on the second level. Problem being? I need to use my bow to hit the target to open the gate."

Obi-Wan nodded, having recalled a path he'd seen with that description.

"So you're going to go and lower the water level again?" Anakin asked Link. He nodded. "Yeah. It would be quicker if it was just me, and it won't take me too long." Ashei looked over at the water. "Guess that means we should just float in the water while we wait… I don't fancy jumping down from that height, even if it is into the water raised to the second level."

Link seemed to agree.

Then he left, leaving the three of them to slip into the water and wait for Link. Obi-Wan glanced in Ashei's direction, debating with himself about whether or not he wanted to speak with her, but she appeared to be deep in thought, and so he decided to wait until they were out of the temple.

After a period of waiting for the water to be lowered (and later for it to rise back to the second level), finally Link returned to them and quickly instructed them to get on the ledge just above the target he needed to shoot.

"And try not to get in the way of my path… I don't want to hurt anyone or get my Longshot stuck in the bars if the gate comes down too quickly." Obi-Wan nodded. "White gold or not, if it's trapped, you can't use it." He glanced over at his padawan. "That means to not be in the way, Anakin…" Anakin, who had been staring after the hallway beyond the gate, was slightly startled by his master's reminder.

"I know that, Master…" he muttered with his usual sarcasm, though it lacked its usual amount of bite to it.

Again Link held his Longshot and an arrow in one hand and held the Fairy Bow in the other. Notching the arrow, he aimed for the eye target below the water, allowing the Bow's energy to tune with his own before releasing the string. Then, by quickly reaching for the calm of the Force to slow down his heart rate and make his movements steadier, he switched to his right hand where he held the Longshot and fired at the target beyond the open door.

Thankfully, no one was hit.

"I noticed you dipped into the Force just then," Obi-Wan observed, "was it to keep you calm?" Link nodded, surprised that the Jedi master had caught on.

"I've found that it helps me perform such tasks more efficiently," he replied as he took Ashei's offered hand to help him up, "when my heart rate is down and all sound drains away. The Force helps me focus on more important actions."

Obi-Wan nodded. "It's a pity you couldn't be a Jedi. You might have been a great fighter for our cause." Link flashed a gentle grin. "Fighting for the peace of my own planet is hard enough, sir." Obi-Wan found that he had to agree. "But one day I'd like you to meet some of the others. Master Yoda, in particular, would definitely like to meet you."

At that point he looked up and noticed that Anakin had disappeared.

"Where's Anakin?"

Ashei pointed down to where the block at the end of the hallway was that he was pushing into a small niche that opened up two other hallways.

"See," he said as he turned around, "I told you that we needed to put this here!" Everyone blinked at him. Ashei pointed at the block, a skeptical expression on her face, as Anakin turned around the right fork of the split and muttered, "Isn't that the block we pushed at the very beginning of the temple?"

Obi-Wan hummed softly. "Looks like it. It also looks like it would've caused us a lot of trouble if we hadn't done that…"

Link chuckled. "Planning points for Anakin." Obi-wan glanced at him.

"Don't tell Anakin that."

"My lips are sealed, sir."

And just like that, Anakin came back around the bend and held up something shiny in his right hand.

"Look, I found the key!"

And with the key found, they proceeded to follow the other path towards a passage upwards that required Link to climb up with his Longshot and help the others over the side after they each completed a force jump.

"Where to now?" Ashei asked once everyone had been brought up. "Now," Link began, "I raise the water level for the last and _final _time – thank Din – and we proceed to begin tackling the northern rooms. I believe the bottom north entrance eventually leads to the key we'll need to get into the room where the creature has been holing itself up."

"And the top entrance is where the creature is?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Right," Link responded, as he ran off to raise the level for the last time.

Once he arrived back, they proceeded to follow him to the bottom north entrance of the temple, following a short path to a square room with yet another pool and some spikes blocking their way.

"Can we jump over those?" Anakin asked Obi-Wan. "We could, but we'd have to be careful. Link, I would suggest going first with the Longshot and then if we can't use a force jump over the spikes, just toss it over." Link nodded and did so, waiting for Obi-Wan to make the attempt.

"What if it looks like we're not going to make it?" Anakin again.

"I'll just put up a shield and you'll fall into the water," Ashei replied. "But it doesn't look like it _shouldn't_ work… the distance isn't _that_ far."

Obi-Wan shrugged and gave her a look. "Better safe than sorry, Ashei."

"I know. I'm on it."

She watched as Obi-Wan prepared a jump, and she began reaching out for the cool metal of the spikes, first laying it over with an invisible smoothing shield and broadening it out a bit until it became an invisible incline that would only make one slide back into the water if they hit it. Satisfied with her work, she carefully held it there until Obi-Wan had completed his jump.

Ashei _had_ been right about the distance being fairly jumpable, but Obi-Wan had misjudged his momentum, and thus needed Link to catch him before he barreled into the wall beyond.

"Thanks Link," he breathed. "No problem," Link assured him.

Obi-Wan looked up. "You next, Anakin."

Anakin, feeling fairly confident he could do it once he'd seen Obi-Wan do it, readied himself for his own jump, though his overconfidence also made him misjudge his jump so that he didn't have enough momentum… resulting in a very irritable, soaked Anakin after he climbed back up onto the platform.

"Damn this stupid water…" he muttered.

"Didn't you say you weren't going to complain anymore?" Ashei commented, to which Anakin gave her a look. She held up her hands. "Hey, just saying."

"We'll be out soon enough, Anakin," Obi-Wan said on the other side. "Just do it again with more momentum this time. And stop trying to antagonize him, Ashei." She nodded, serious and somber once again, and Anakin repeated his jump, clearing the spikes this time, with Ashei following him up.

After she dismissed her shield, they entered the next room.

The next room had several currents running in opposite directions, vortexes placed in various spots around the currents, and the occasional boulder that would sometimes pass through the water that didn't seem phased by much. There were Tektites at the end of the room, and as usual the walls and floor were covered in shimmering blue stone.

"Walk or swim?" Anakin asked quietly while Ashei was picking off the Tektites with her bow. "Do either at your own peril," Obi-Wan muttered, "They're both equally dangerous here. Just whatever you do, avoid the vortexes."

And once Ashei had put away her bow, they all crossed the room and managed to make it to the other side in a fairly safe manner.

The room after that was much smaller, and Link frowned as he surveyed the area from his perch on the edge. Finally after taking a quick look at his map, he handed Anakin a bomb and said, "First off, don't press the button until you get to dry land or it's likely to backfire on you. So okay, take it down there," – here he pointed to the right of where they were – "and place it by the wall. You can stand by the edge I think and you'll be fine. Ashei, if you'll pick off those Stingers in the water and then join him after you're done, it would be most appreciated." She nodded in agreement.

"And Obi-Wan, you're with me." Obi-Wan, having since seen Link's remarkable ability to plan nearly all of their coinciding actions successfully throughout the entire temple, decided not to question the young man as he led to two of them to the left.

There Link placed a bomb next to an oddly colored wall, and it turned out to be bombable. They walked inside and saw that there was a giant block there. After going out and explain to Anakin and Ashei (who had finished picking off the Stingers) that they needed to work together to push and pull the block so that it pressed the switch underneath the water, the two teams got to work.

Eventually they did get the block to slide down into the water, and once the switch was covered, the water level in the room rose high enough for them to reach the next door.

Once again, they had entered a large room with a gap between them and the other side, only this time there were three geysers they had to cross and two Tektites that Ashei had to pick off. Only when she reached behind her for some arrows to use, she found that her numbers were slowly dwindling despite her careful retrieval of each arrow she shot.

"Here," Link said, offering her half his quiver, "take mine. I'm not using them right now. Maybe you could try charming them or calling them back with the Force?" She nodded, thankful for both the arrows and his suggestions, her cheeks flushing slightly when their fingers blushed during the exchange.

So the Tektites were picked off and the switch pressed, thus they were once again able to progress…

…only to be placed in a very small hallway with a giant boulder passing in front of their view, startling about half their group. That half just so happened to be Anakin and Ashei, who were clinging to each other in their surprise, jumping away once they realized whom they were clinging to. Link and Obi-Wan just glanced at them and rolled their eyes,

"Okay," Link began, "the big key should be just underneath that waterfall so… who wants to go get it?"

Anakin raised his hand with a goofy grin plastered to his face. "Me!"

Link put the map away and shrugged. "Go ahead. Knock yourself out." Ashei studied Link's expression curiously as Anakin dove into the water and switched on his Iron Bracelet. "There's something down there isn't there?" she asked with a wry smile. Link rolled his eyes.

"Of course. After how many keys this temple had, I'm a bit tired of key fetching. I might just have him do it from now on if he's so eager…"

"You'll have to bribe him with something once he catches on," interjected Obi-Wan. Ashei scoffed. "With what, rupees?"

"I could always offer to stop waking him up with the Cucco in the morning…" Link mused. Ashei held up her hand in surrender. "How else are we going to wake him? He sleeps like a rock!"

Link returned her wry smile with one of his own. "There's always water, or kicking him, or… poking him with something sharp."

Obi-Wan snorted. "Good luck with that."

And just then, Anakin came up out of the water, big gold key in hand, seemingly none the wiser of their conversation. "I was kind of expecting something… more," Anakin remarked as they were making their way back to the main room, "all that was down there was a single clam thing…"

"Shell blade," Ashei corrected.

"Whatever."

Link shrugged, nonchalant. "I didn't design this place, nor was I the one that brought in its current residents. Why they choose their places to live isn't something I'm an expert on, nor do I care to be." Everyone else could agree with that.

So they finally made it to the top of the main room and the each managed to cross over to the dragon statue on the other side. Both of the nearby pots were glowing pink, and Navi reminded them that the glow signified the presence of a healing fairy nearby. So Ashei picked them up and had Link stuff them in his hat for safekeeping, and then they entered the final door.

The last room that led up to the boss key was just a straight incline with spike traps going back and forth across it.

"We can jump that, right?" Anakin asked, hopeful, his voice rising in pitch a bit as he spoke. Obi-Wan shrugged.

"I don't see why not. Let me try it first, though." And it was indeed something that they could jump; so even Link opted to do so instead of running up in between the moving spike traps.

That put them right in front of the giant door with the large golden chains connected to the lock that barred the door shut. Link brought out the big key he'd put in one of his belt pockets and stared at the door for a moment. "Ruto should be behind that door… I hope we're not too late."

"We would've known if something had happened to her," Ashei reassured him. "She's all right. Now let's go and kill this thing so Zora's Domain will unfreeze and all of the Zoras will be all right again." Link nodded, and he gripped the key tightly to press it into the lock. Despite Ashei's reassurance, his hand still shook, and Ashei moved around to his left side in order to help steady his hand, giving him only a meaningful look that spoke volumes.

Together, they opened the door, watching the golden chains fall at their feet.

Anakin and Obi-Wan cleared them away, and at last the four of them entered the lair of the creature that had frozen Zora's Domain and kidnapped the Princess.

However, upon entering the room, it didn't appear like there was anything inside. Anakin frowned. "This is where that thing is holing up, right?"

Link nodded slowly. "Should be…" He glanced down at the water and then he frowned. "That water… doesn't look right." Ashei made a face at it. "Ugh… it looks… polluted. What's in it?"

"Not sure I want to know," murmured Obi-Wan beside her.

Anakin opted to jump towards one of the platforms to check out the center, but after a few moments observation he couldn't find anything there either, the creature or Princess Ruto. It was only when he turned his back to the center and was about to return to where his companions were standing that they felt the shift.

Anakin slowly turned back around to see what it was, but he had a sinking feeling he already knew…

Behind him a long tube made of some kind of gel rose out of the water, and within it, a large orange nucleus pulsed with a sick peach colored light. Anakin tried to turn and run, but in the back of his mind he already knew he was too late. All he had to work with once the thing wrapped itself around his middle and jerked him up into the air were his wits and the Force, since his lightsaber decided to detach itself from his belt and clatter to the platform at that point.

He rose in the air, vertigo making it hard to discern his location in the room, and the way the thing constricted his air from his lungs wasn't helping much. It waved him around, making his head pulse and ache, and he gasped for breath after it threw him against another platform. He winced, feeling something inside him snap and he could taste blood on his lips…

And then he felt something in the force call out to him, so he held out his hand and let it come to him. He felt something hard and solid land in it, and he used whatever thoughts he had left to thank the Force for bringing it to him. At that point all he could do was press the button to activate it and flail around like a fish out of water, which eventually did the trick. The blade of his saber momentarily passed through the nucleus of the creature, making it throw him back to the platform surrounding the room's perimeter while it screeched.

Through the haze and spotty blackness that covered parts of his vision, he could feel a pair of steady hands grab him and drag him off somewhere. Eventually he felt the thing inside him that had snapped fix itself somehow, and his sight began to clear while his head stopped pounding ever so slightly.

He found himself in the arms of his master, who held an empty bottle in one hand. Near them floated a tiny fairy in human form with bright neon pink hair, a thigh length pink slip that hugged her form and a pair of translucent pink wings.

"That's all I can do, I'm afraid. Best of luck to you." And with that she disappeared. Obi-Wan looked down at him worriedly.

"You took quite a beating there," he murmured, "Are you all right?"

Anakin groaned, holding a hand to his head, which was still pounding. "Yeah, but I've still got this massive headache…" Obi-Wan's brow furrowed. "Your head is still bleeding. It'll have to wait, though, since I don't have anything to attend to it with…"

Anakin blinked, and he spotted Link and Ashei running about on the opposite side of the room.

"Um… where are we?"

Obi-Wan pointed to the spikes around them. "The spikes along the room's perimeter were thoughtful enough to leave spaces in between the corners so one could hide in them. The creature won't be able to reach us here."

Anakin nodded, but his thoughts were still a bit sluggish with all the pain he was still in. Whatever had broken inside him may have been fixed, but his body ached everywhere and the dried blood on his nose and lips was starting to get annoying.

"How are they doing? And… why aren't you with them?"

Obi-Wan took a moment before answering. "They look like they're managing. They work very well together even in battle. Especially in battle. And… the only reason I'm not with them is because you needed looking after." He grinned slightly. "I suspect even after you become a Knight you'll always need looking after."

Anakin, who had managed to regain most of his wits by that point, rolled his eyes but understood the significance of Obi-Wan's voluntary presence now that he was mostly healed now.

"I could say the same for you, Master."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "Now I know you're not dying… though I wouldn't put it past you to make fun at me even then, either."

Anakin coughed, and something rattled in his lungs. Mucus, he was sure.

"Yeah, probably… gods, I hate colds."

"We'll get you a remedy for it once we're out of here." He scoffed. "Shouldn't be too long with the way those two fight." Obi-Wan squinted, and Anakin sensed the change in the air.

"The Force…" he whispered. Obi-Wan nodded. "I feel it too…"

After Obi-Wan had dragged Anakin away to treat his wounds, Link and Ashei had taken up the task of taking down the creature. They'd seen by Anakin's example that removing the nucleus inside it and damaging that was the only way to kill it, so Link took up the burden of removing the nucleus with his Longshot, and Ashei would hack at it with her sword.

This got more and more difficult as time went on, though, because the thing got smarter as the fight continued, and it did so by summoning more and more tubes of semi-solid water in various places.

Corners like the one Obi-Wan had dragged Anakin off to were safe places they could use to dodge them if they needed to, but soon the tubes began sliding after them as they moved, making the fight ten times more difficult as neither one of them wanted to end up like Anakin.

Except they were tiring, and eventually one of them was going to make a mistake, each of them hoping that it wouldn't be the other one.

It was Ashei who fell first. It happened while she was running away from a pursuing water tube, and the tip of her boot hit a stray part of a crack in the stones, launching herself forward onto the floor, which scraped wherever her armor was unable to cover. Link turned around, having made it safely to a corner, yet once he saw what had happened, his blood ran cold.

It was only then that he drew his sword, and, without thinking, gathered the same energies of his own magic and the Force together, combined with the sword's own particular signature. Power flowed through him, but it was a steady, calm power unlike that of chaos and darkness. It steadied him and cleared his sight, making the world sharpen in focus and all sound drain away.

He ran, and armed with his sword in one hand and his Longshot in the other, he quickly skidded to a stop and shot his Longshot straight into the water tube that was reaching for Ashei, as it so happened to contain the nucleus inside. Water splashed across Ashei, making her stir, and she managed to look back just in time to see Link bring down his glowing saber upon the orange blob, where it screeched for the final time, and burst into tiny burnt pieces of sticky peach colored goo.

The glow of Link's saber dimmed and it became the Master Sword again, but the immediate release of power brought him to his knees, where Ashei managed to limp over and sink down to his level.

"Are you… all right?" she asked him softly. He coughed, chuckling softly. "I was about to ask you the same thing." They shared a brief tender smile before Ashei's face scrunched up in confusion. "Link… did you know that… the sword… it turned into a lightsaber?" Link stared at her, blinking.

"It did what?"

She shrugged slightly, shaking her head a little as she helped him stand and put the sword back in its sheath.

"I… I don't know. That's just what I saw. I could have been wrong."

It was then that she noticed Obi-Wan helping Anakin walk over to where they were. She grinned softly at Anakin. "Still alive over there?" He returned her grin. "Yeah. Unfortunately you have to put up with me for a while longer." There was another shift of power that made them all turn their heads and a familiar blue circle of light appeared at the bottom of the now empty pool.

"Well," Link muttered cheerfully, "there's our way out. Now let's get out of here before I drive myself up the wall…"

"Or into the water," Ashei quipped.

Link groaned. "Goddesses… if I didn't need it to live I would say I'd never want to see water ever again."

"I'll second that," Obi-Wan said quietly. Anakin agreed shortly afterwards.

And so the four of them (plus one blue guardian fairy) climbed down into the pool to enter into the blue light that would take them out and away from the nightmare they'd come to know as the Water Temple…

.oOo.

Once more they were briefly deposited in the Chamber of Sages, since the evil had been purged from the temple and the sage was free and awakened.

They were facing the blue platform emblazoned with the symbol of the water temple this time, and after a period of waiting, Princess Ruto appeared, coming forth from a white circle of light similar to the blue one they had entered to get out of the temple and into the Sacred Realm.

"Ruto…" Link murmured, "So you're the sage?" He chuckled. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, since you're actually a much more decent person than you were when we were kids."

Ruto returned the sentiment with a chuckle of her own.

"I suppose a was a bit of a brat back then, wasn't I? Please, do forgive me. But, to business… now that you've beaten the creature – who's name happened to be Morpha, by the way – the evil is gone from the temple and the ice in Zora's Domain should be gone. Thus, by extension, Lake Hylia should be filling up with water and all of the Zoras should be freed. You'll need a place to rest when night comes, so please, talk with Mikau and I'm sure he'll find you a place to stay."

Link nodded slowly. "So you must stay here as well?"

"Yes," Ruto said, a sad smile on her face, "for while it is within my ability to return to the physical world, I must stay here in order to provide you with this… please receive it with my gratitude for all that you've done for me… and all those insults you had to put up with all those years ago."

She held out her hands to him in order to send him her powers as the Sage of Water, and he held out his own in return to receive it.

After a brief flash of light, the blue medallion appeared in his hands, eventually bursting into tiny bits of energy and dissolving itself into his chest. The power that flowed through him was indeed strong, but it was a steady, commanding power that seemed to refine him and increase his own strength. But beneath that power, something else lay deep in the undercurrents, something that tasted of unrequited love and regret. It sent a pang of sorrow deep in his heart, but that quickly faded as soon as the energy assimilated with his own. He blinked; not realizing Ruto cared that much about him.

Afterwards, when light began to fill his vision as they were being whisked away back to the physical realm; he could hear a wisp of Ruto's last thoughts enter his mind.

'_If you see Sheik, give him my thanks, all right?'_

Link sighed into the light, silently promising her that he would do so.

.oOo.

Standing on the edge of the small island in the middle of Lake Hylia, Sheik surveyed the rising of the water in the lake. A small smile turned upward beneath his cowl, and he sighed appreciatively.

"As the water rises, the evil vanishes from the lake… you did it, all of you…"

Suddenly there was a shift in power behind him, and Sheik turned to see Link and his three companions placed upon the Water Temple's pedestal.

When the world around them came back into focus and they saw Sheik standing not too far away, the four companions walked slowly over to meet him. Link cleared his throat.

"Princess Ruto… she wanted to thank you." He said softly.

A fine golden eyebrow rose into his curtain of hair. "Oh? Did she? I see…"

Sheik closed his eyes as though accepting the thanks in physical form, and then he turned around halfway to look over the filling Lake Hylia.

"Look at that…" he whispered, in awe of the wonder that was Lake Hylia, "thanks to your efforts, once again the lake if filled with pure water… all is as it was here." He sighed, turning back to the four of them. "And as much as I'd like to stay and chat, I have things I must attend to… I would suggest heading back to Zora's Domain and resting there before continuing onward. As precious as your time may be, time to rest and heal is even more precious. Take it when you need it, otherwise you might as well not have any at all."

And with that, Sheik threw yet another Deku Nut, leaving them all standing there in the light of the late midday sun. Everyone let out a collective sigh.

"I propose," Link said to his friends, "that we do as he says."

Obi-Wan nodded. "If not only for the rest but as an excuse to check up on the Zoras. Is there a faster way there than walking?" Link grinned.

"Yeah. Come on, let me show you."

* * *

><p>Good lord. This is… really long. Yeah. I thought about making it into three parts, but it just didn't sit well with me and it wouldn't have flowed well story wise. So this monster is what you get until I'm done with my other projects.<p>

Well, now I'll be leaving to go work on my tumblr artwork and then a few deviations for deviantART, then I'll come back here maybe around Thanksgiving or Christmastime and start working on getting to the Shadow Temple. So I hope you guys had fun reading this, and as always, leave a review or pick up a subscription and/or favorite on your way out.

See you when I get back.

- Hikari no Vikki


	20. Interlude: Reconciliation

**Chapter Twenty: Interlude - Reconciliation**

Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force

Chapter: 20

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: I'd make some sort of joke here, but I've run out of them. I don't own any of this (except the plot and a few characters).

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

Author's Notes-

Yay, I'm back! Sorry it took so long, I just had people (family mostly) requesting that I draw a bunch of things, and so that took time away from this. But, since this is now up I'm finally back in business, and so now it's time to get a move on through some more character development and (hopefully) the Bottom of the Well!

How wonderful… lol. :P

**WARNING:** Oh, and I should probably put up a **LINK/OC** warning here… even though I've – hopefully – made myself clear about it in the past few chapters… oh well. So I'm really trying to make this work here and if you see anything wrong (besides typos) with how the two are interacting with one another please give me some CONSTRUCTIVE pointers on how to make it better, more real, believable, etc. Thanks. Now go read. :D

* * *

><p>When they surfaced through the top of the small lake inside Zora's Domain, Mikau was there waiting for them at the ledge near the entrance of the shop that had been his home for the last seven years.<p>

He looked much relieved to see them than he had when they'd seen him last, and while he was still a little on the thin side, his eyes were bright with tears of gratitude. Once he helped Link stand upon the shore Mikau pulled him into a tight hug and clung to him for some time as a sign of his thanks.

"You don't know what a relief it is to see my wife alive again at last," Mikau said to Link as he brought them back down into the storeroom-turned-bedroom in order to help Link remove the Zora Armor, "I don't know how to thank you for everything you have done for the myself and all of the Zora people." Link chuckled softly and shook his head.

"Just doing what needs to be done, Mikau. But…" Here, Link's wry smile paused ever so slightly as he stood by the curtain that would separate the bed and desk from the rest of the room. "You could help us find somewhere to rest and recover."

He gestured to his companions.

"All of us haven't really eaten for awhile and I'm not sure how much medical attention we need, but I know for certain that at least Anakin needs to have his head looked at. He, ah… hit it pretty hard when we were fighting the monster in the temple." After he finished, Link was left to stand somewhat awkwardly, still gesturing with both arms to his friends, but staring at Mikau with pleading puppy eyes.

Mikau chuckled at the sight, and nodded to confirm that he would help.

"Of course, I'll take you to King Zora once we're done and I'll see what I can do. I can't promise that I'll be able to get everyone a room though, since we're still trying to see if everyone is accounted for." At that Link nodded and then stepped into the doorway and closed the curtain behind him.

When it reopened, Link was clothed simply in a light white shirt with a square collar, as well as a comfortable set of khaki pants tucked into his boots. The Master Sword and his shield were slung across his back while the rest of his things were stored in his hat that he currently opted to stick into one of his pants' spacious pockets, with Navi sitting calmly on his left shoulder.

"So," Link said to Mikau once they were back outside the shop entrance, "where is King Zora now? Still in the throne room?"

Mikau shook his head. "No. He's up in the residential commons making sure everyone gets seen to by those who are able to help." He shot a glance at Anakin and Obi-Wan, the latter of which was supporting the former and trying to keep him awake in case he had a concussion. "Your friend comes first, though. Anakin, am I correct?"

Link nodded. "Lead the way."

The residential commons that Mikau had referred to were obviously not part of the Domain proper. They had to go through a secret passage behind the waterfall and down a long hallway lit by torchlight. It wasn't a tight fit, but Ashei, who had been quiet since they'd entered Zora's Domain, stood close to Link anyway, and reached out for his ungloved right hand to grasp it tightly.

Apparently, their feelings for each other hadn't changed since the Temple.

But they had no time to discuss it now, since it didn't take long for the tunnel to open up into a round blue room filled with tables, chairs, and couches all made from various materials ranging from water-bed fabrics to marble fixings, with coral accessories and shell-shaped wall-lights scattered tastefully throughout the room. There were also several other brightly lit hallways branching off from the central area, as well as many Zoras scattering about, with King Zora standing in a small pool of water in the center of the chaos.

Before their approach, Link noticed the tired and worn expression he sometimes recognized on others who were attempting to manage a situation that was just slightly out of their hands, yet when he noticed their group approaching him with Mikau out in front, his features softened into a more relaxed and appreciative appearance.

"Mikau! So you found them!" He exclaimed, and Link had to note that this King Zora was much different from the one he'd met previously.

Despite being a rather… large and… absentminded man, the Zora King was actually quite aware of occurring events around him and would indeed step in when the situation grew dire enough to need his assistance.

"Yes," Mikau answered his king, "I did. But before you ask them anything, could you direct these two to the nearest available healer so that they might have a quick exam? The young man here hit his head rather hard and he needs someone to look him over." As he spoke, he gestured to Obi-Wan and Anakin, and the king's eyes trailed over them to take in their appearance.

After Mikau was done speaking, the king looked behind him to his right (a feat Link was amazed that he could accomplish without having to turn his entire body) and noticed that a matronly looking female Zora was standing at attention by one of the entrances. He waved a hand (fin?) at her and then gestured with it towards Obi-Wan for him to follow her.

Obi-Wan nodded his thanks and began leading Anakin over to where the female Zora stood and they soon disappeared into the passage a moment later.

Finally, King Zora turned back to the three of them and sighed deeply.

"I am glad that things are finally winding down," the large fish-man said, "since the ice melted and the rest of the Zoras freed, it has been difficult getting everyone seen and attended to in such a short time."

Mikau nodded his sympathy. "Yes sir, it has. I'm glad that my wife is alive and well along with all the others, but she went off with the rest of the healers when you had them assemble so I haven't seen her yet since." Mikau grew quiet and somber again, as if he wanted desperately to see his beloved again to make sure it wasn't all a dream.

"You will see her again Mikau," the king assured him, "but that reminds me…" He glanced up at Link, his face half curious, half worried. "What of my darling Princess Ruto?" Ashei and Link exchanged glances, and then Link frowned slightly as he turned back to King Zora.

"It's… complicated sir," he began, "you see, we did eventually meet up with her in the temple and we fought together for a brief period of time, but the monster in the temple found us and dragged her to its lair until we destroyed it." King Zora raised a fine blue eyebrow.

"So why isn't she with you?" he asked them bluntly.

Link swallowed, unable to force the words he wanted to say past his throat. Ashei, however, took note of this and decided to take it upon herself to tell the king of his daughter's fate.

"She is alive, King Zora," Ashei spoke, her voice smooth and calm in the slowly quieting noise of the recent chaos, "but it was revealed to us after we defeated the monster in the temple that she was to take the place of the Sage of Water in the Sacred Realm in order to help us in our quest to slay the evil king. She wanted to come back, but she must stay there in order for the power of the Water Medallion to stay active."

King Zora blinked, and in the moment he took to turn around and process what Ashei had just told him, she turned back to Link and nodded to him, and he nodded his thanks to her in return, his hand instinctively reaching up to brush back a few strands of hair behind her ear, which made her blush a little.

He wondered at her reaction, but then when he realized what he done, his own cheeks blushed slightly too. Mikau was watching the two of them off to the side, and he smiled secretly to himself, remembering when he and his beloved had been like that. But then he blinked, realizing that he still needed to secure them a place to sleep for the night, and so he cleared his throat.

"My king? Are you all right?"

King Zora appeared slightly startled, as if he'd been deep in thought, but he turned around to look for who had called out to him in order to reply.

"Ah, Mikau. Forgive me. I had expected the worst of my precious child when she did not return with the young lad and his friends… but this news is… better than I had hoped. It's not what I had expected to hear, but… heh. I hadn't expected something like that where my little girl is concerned."

King Zora sighed. "Evidently she's grown up and become a young woman without my noticing." He shook his head. "Once day Mikau, I hope you and your own wife will know what a joy it is to raise a child."

Mikau nodded slowly. "As do I, sir. But… might I first be able to secure a few rooms for my friends to rest in? One is fine, but two is preferable." The king glanced to where Link and Ashei stood, noticing how tired and bedraggled they looked. "Ah yes," he murmured, "I must do something for you in return for saving my Princess Ruto."

He turned around again to look for something and made a small sound of surprise when he found what he was looking for.

He stepped out of the small pool of water he'd been standing in (which, in comparison to Mikau, wasn't actually that small) and walked over to a large holochart on the wall opposite where they stood. They followed him, and while they were making their way to him, he tapped a few places on the chart, as though searching through a database.

Finally he seemed to come to something that appeared to match what they were looking for, just as Anakin and Obi-Wan were returning from getting checked over.

"Ah," said King Zora as they approached, "it's good that you're here. I've managed to find you a pair of rooms for you to rest in tonight, as Mikau requested. They should be stocked with a range of things to eat and drink – we don't live on fish alone you know – and are equipped with bathing facilities." He frowned, surveying the holochart. "However, I would wait until morning if you want to bathe… it seems the hot water won't be back on until then. The water _is_ working though, so you should be able to boil some if you need any small quantity of hot water."

The four of them nodded, but it was Obi-Wan who had the good sense to ask how many beds each of the rooms had, and King Zora turned back to the holochart once more.

"Hmm… only one of the rooms has two beds, it seems. Is that all?"

Obi-Wan nodded, thinking idly about their sleeping arrangements. King Zora bowed slightly in kind and relayed the room numbers to Mikau, who he promised could go find his wife once he was done escorting them.

"So," Mikau asked them as he was leading them on, "who wants the room with two beds?" Link and Ashei glanced at one another (something Link found they'd been doing a lot since the incident in the room of illusions), but it was Obi-Wan who spoke.

"Anakin and I will take it." He smiled smugly at Link and Ashei, wondering if he was doing the right thing. "Sorry you two, but I've had the pleasure of sharing a bed with my padawan here more than once, and it is _not_ a pleasant experience." He folded his arms as his grin turned into a frown. "He kicks. And steals all the blankets."

Anakin coughed in protest, which seemed to make his bandaged head hurt since he winced and gingerly reached up to brush his fingers against the bandage. "I do not… kick. Or steal blankets."

Obi-Wan shot him a dry look.

"And how would you know? You sleep like a rock."

Ashei laughed at the two of them, and the sound of her laughter seemed to make all of Link's earlier tension ease slightly.

"It's fine," she told Obi-Wan sweetly, "I'm sure we can manage."

Not long after that, Mikau opened the door to the room Anakin and Obi-Wan would be using, and pointed just across the hall to another door that Link assumed was the room he would be sharing with Ashei. "There's the other room, just so you can keep track of each other. And… here is your room key."

Obi-Wan took the key that Mikau offered him and he and Anakin entered it, closing the door behind him. It wasn't much later that Mikau was handing Link the key to their room and waving goodbye to them.

"I have to go find my wife now. I wish you luck in your quest, all of you."

"Thank you Mikau," Link replied earnestly, "I can't thank you enough." Mikau chuckled and shook his head, but let them comment slide. "Eat something won't you? And get some sleep." Link nodded, suddenly hearing the click of the door lock behind him, and he stilled at the knowledge that he was sharing a room with _Ashei_.

Speaking of… where was…?

"What do you want to eat?" Came a voice off to the left of him. It had sounded from the small kitchen, and Navi (who had been unusually quiet all this time) fluttered off of his shoulder toward the direction of the sound.

"Any Cucco soup?" she asked Ashei, who was digging around the cabinets and refrigerator looking for food. "Or insta-noodles?"

Ashei chuckled, crawling out from underneath one cupboard to stand and hold up a couple of packets of instant noodles in various listed flavors. "Yeah, there's a couple of those. Personally, I'd like one too. I don't really feel like cooking up a big meal or anything right now… maybe in the morning." She spread the packets out on a nearby counter for Link and Navi to look at, and Navi pointed to the packet labeled, 'Oriental.'

"That one tastes just like Cucco soup! Can we have that one?" Link blinked at her for a moment before looking at the packet and then at Navi before smiling softly at her and picking it up to read the instructions printed on the back.

"Sure, we can have this one." He glanced back at the other flavors, and then towards Ashei. "Unless you want it?" Ashei shook her head. "I prefer the creamy mushroom, actually. Here, I'll make them both at the same time, okay?" She offered her hand for Link to hand her his packet, and he gently placed it in her grasp. Noticing his hesitation, she nodded slightly and whispered in a voice almost too low for him to hear, "Later, okay?"

He blinked at her, but then he realized what she was referring to, so he nodded slightly and went off to study the rest of their room.

That's really what it was, just about a ten by ten square-ish living/sleeping area with the tiny six by ten kitchen on the left, and a bathroom of a similar size to the kitchen on the right.

It was also decorated with furniture similar to the fixtures in the commons main hub room, with teal blue walls and tasteful coral decorations placed on shelves, two small cream-colored dressers on either side of the bed, which Link was thankful to find that it did not buckle beneath his weight as a water-bed would. There was also a small black marble table that had two wooden chairs on either side of it that were painted a similar cream color as the dressers and they also had solid pillow cushions.

Ashei came out of the kitchen a few minutes later with steaming bowls of hot soup, and this warmed them up quite nicely. They enjoyed a companionable silence as they ate, including Navi who was sipping and nibbling contentedly on a spoonful of Link's noodles between them.

When they were almost finished, Navi announced that she was finished with her spoonful of soup and fluttered over to one of the cream colored dressers to pull a small kerchief from the top drawer and curl up in it to sleep. It was only when their ears could detect the sound of her light steady breathing and tiny snores that Ashei offered to take up their dishes and clean, but Link refused.

"No, I'll take it. You cooked, so I'll clean. Why don't you get some dry clothes on, okay?" Ashei blinked, suddenly remembering how incredibly damp her clothes and hair were.

She sighed. "Okay. I'll be out in a bit."

So Link picked up the dishes and cleaned them using the small kitchen sink, and he set them down on a counter that proclaimed itself to be able to put away dishes overnight, and it couldn't hurt to leave two bowls there, really. Once he was done he walked back the bed, but quickly noticed that Ashei wasn't yet out.

He had long since taken off his sword and shield, so now he decided to pull off his boots and the socks beneath them, leaving him clad in only his shirt, pants, and underwear. However, without the socks on his feet they seemed to get cold very quickly on the tiled floor, so he climbed beneath the covers on the left side of the bed and felt very warm indeed.

Then the bathroom door opened, and Link blinked in surprise, staring at a slightly sheepish Ashei.

She wore a simple sky blue colored set of pajamas, no patterns or fancy cuts. It had long sleeves too; with the legs of the bottom half stopping just below her ankles, and it was then that Link noticed that she didn't have on any socks either. The fabric of the top was thinner than the bottom, and he could see the wrappings of her breast-band beneath it. She'd also unbound her hair and was carrying a small brush in her right hand.

"I realized most of my clothing was really wet so I set it out to dry with a spell that will be finished in the morning…" she mumbled as she shuffled slowly towards the bed. Link reached out to her slowly, offering her a soft smile that belied his own anxiousness.

"Come now, the floor gets awfully cold without socks on." His eyes shifted to the brush in her hand. "Would you like me to brush your hair for you?" She stared at him, eyes wide with an emotion he couldn't name, until she took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was only then that she climbed onto the bed but still didn't get under the covers completely as she folded her feet under her legs.

"Sorry," she muttered, her voice low as she handed him the brush, "I'm just not used to being so… close to someone. Physically or… emotionally."

Link laughed softly as he pulled himself into a position similar to Ashei.

"You forget that it's no different for me, Ashei. And… I haven't had the chance to get used to all these… emotions. Half the time I feel like a ticking bomb flower, just trying to figure out just what it is I'm feeling before I explode." He began to gather sections of her long, thick hair and began to go over it slowly with the brush.

Ashei paused. She hadn't thought of that. But, she still wanted to ask him something before she got too far into… whatever this was.

"So… what happened in the Temple aside, would you go back after all this? Go back to being a child?" She heard Link scoffed lightly behind her, and a bit of his warm breath ghosted the right side of her neck. "No. I talked to Navi about this before we left Kakariko to come here. If I'm only getting the tail end of this puberty stuff now, I don't think I'd like to do it again…"

He sighed deeply.

"As much as I… kind of enjoy some of the things I'm feeling, it's just…"

"Confusing?" she supplied after he couldn't seem to find a word for his recent experiences. Link hummed shortly. "I think messy is the word I was looking for, but that works too."

Ashei returned his hum with one of her own to let him know she agreed. But his words were something of a comfort to her, so she continued.

"At least your only companions weren't a sage who didn't ever tell you he was a sage and whole lot of fruits and flowers… I didn't even really know how to deal with people other than Telma and Impa all that much… honestly I've sort of been winging it all this time."

He kept brushing her hair; now moving towards the center parts he'd set aside moments ago, and raised an eyebrow even though she couldn't see.

"You've been doing a pretty good job of it," he murmured idly.

She chuckled. "Traveling with you and the Jedi has really helped. But… this isn't what we're supposed to be talking about, is it?" Almost done with the center, Link moved over slightly so that he was closer to Ashei than he had been in order to reach the other side.

"No, not really…" he paused, searching for the right words. Finally he found them, and began brushing the other side as he began to speak.

"Back in the Water Temple, you said you didn't know what this was between us. This feeling that we seem to have for each other that is stronger than affection for the simple fact that the mere thought of the death of the other is enough to drive us over the edge in a fight… is that still true?"

He could feel her back stiffen a little as the question registered with her mind, but slowly she began to relax as he allowed her to think about her answer.

Finally she said, in a very quiet voice, "I know what I want to call it. I… I think I love you." Link paused in his regular brushing to stare at her incredulously. "What? Love…?" She shook her head slightly, since the brush was still stuck in her hair and the hand that wasn't holding the brush had a very firm grip on her shoulder.

"I don't even know what love is, Link, I really don't… I don't know if I've ever been loved in my life that I remember… Sure, my mother probably loved me, but I don't remember her, and I don't even know who my father was, but Impa said he cared about me a lot. Loved me. And Impa… she cares about me, but… she's more like Auru. A watchful guardian, not a loving one."

She said all this while watching her hands, which she'd placed in her lap. By now Link had finished brushing her hair and had, after setting the brush on the other dresser, slowly crawled back to her right side to stare sadly in her direction.

"Ashei," he said softly, reaching out to brush his fingers against her cheek, feeling the softness against his own skin.

She jumped, and it made her turn to look up at his mildly startled features with wonder. "And then…" she said, breathless, "you go and do something like that and… I feel…"

"Loved?" he breathed, his voice so soft and gentle it made her want to kiss him more than she ever had before. "Ashei…" he whispered, his eyebrows furrowing into his sad eyes as he held her gaze, "please don't cry. I want to see you smile… it makes me feel happy when you smile."

And then he reached up to her face again; brushing away a single tear she hadn't realized had escaped her.

They were close now, close enough for her to lean up, just enough…

"Link?" Pause. "Yes?" Another pause.

"I'm… going to do something. I don't want you to… freak out. Please." He blinked owlishly at her before allowing his lips to twist upward slightly in a soft smile. "Sure, what is it Ashei?" She took in another deep breath and tilted her head a little so that their noses wouldn't bump and ruin the moment. Then she reached around him with her right hand and gently pushed him toward her until they were so close, their bodies were flush against one another and her entire body tingled.

A moment later, she was pressing her lips against his.

Her lips… felt soft, like her hair, only warmer and wetter. Their touch against his own shot a bolt of _something_ through his heart and forced his arms to wrap around her body of their own accord. Then her lips moved slightly against his and he pulled away, gasping at the strength of the feeling that rushed him.

Ashei shook a little, appearing somewhat dejected, like a lost little puppy,

"Did… did you not like it?" she asked him quietly, and suddenly he was hugging her and apologizing for something he couldn't quite understand.

"No, I mean, yes, I… ugh. Words…" he mumbled, trying to spit them out fast enough so he could get to the right ones. Finally he stopped to take a breath and let it out slowly before he tried again. "I did… I did like it, Ashei. Really." He caught her gaze to let her know the truth of his words.

"It's just that… that… that was a kiss… right?" He looked up at Ashei but didn't bother waiting for confirmation. "I didn't expect it to make me feel so much… and so quickly. I'm sorry I scared you."

He reached up to move a few strands of hair behind her left ear again. It was becoming something of a habit now, he realized.

"Can we… do that again?"

Ashei blinked, and this time she was the speechless one as she nodded slowly, and waited for him to make the first move. Link's approach was slower, tentative, and yet twice as sweet and tender for its softness. When he pulled away he smiled at her gently, one hand stroking the hair he'd just brushed.

"You know, I don't what love is either, but… do you think we could figure it out… together? And before I ruin the moment I just want to say that I'm not ready for any of the… things I read about in those books you gave me. I just want to get to know you. I want… to make you smile Ashei."

That last bit _did_ make her smile.

"Sure," she said softly. "Maybe our… attraction to one another is precisely what makes us work so well as a team… I'd like to learn more about you too… and help you learn, since you hardly know who you are. So… yeah. We'll figure this out…"

"Together," he said at last, and with that, the tension was gone and the two of them exchanged good nights as they burrowed beneath the covers for warmth.

.oOo.

Ashei awoke to the sound of a nearby shower and the absence of a person that had been sleeping next to her throughout the night. She blinked multiple times to clear the sleep from her eyes as she lay on her back, staring at the ceiling.

Her thoughts swam around in her head languidly, and stayed that way for some time until the sounds of the shower suddenly stopped.

She blinked again, this time now fully awake and fully aware that there was a naked man in the bathroom next to her: this thought sent blood rushing to her cheeks. She shook her head to rid her mind of… _those_ kinds of thoughts as she got up to look through the kitchen for things to make breakfast with.

Once she was certain that she'd found everything that might be used as something to create a breakfast out of, she turned on her heels and strode to the bathroom door to go ask Link what he wanted for breakfast; quite forgetting the fact that said person might not be dressed yet…

… or covered, apparently.

She had only just turned the doorknob slightly and pushed the door (that was completely silent of any creaks or groans) inward a little before she caught sight of him standing in front of the mirror.

He was toweling his hair dry, rubbing the dark red fabric against his wet hair in a frantic attempt to dry it without a spell. The rest of him was as still as a statue, all light tan skin stretched over soft muscle and sharp angles that made up his mildly sturdy frame. It was only when her eyes briefly began to wander down towards his lower half that she quickly (and quietly) closed the door and clamped a hand over her mouth, reaching out for the nearby table to steady herself. Feeling her face burn from the heat that poured into more than just her cheeks, she took in a couple deep breaths before turning around and knocking on the door like she should have _the first time_.

Link's ears twitched as her heard the knock behind him while he wrapped the towel around his waist, oblivious to the fact that Ashei had (almost) walked in on him naked. "Yes?" he called back, reaching a hand into his hair in exasperation to dry the remaining water with magic.

"Do you… do you want anything in particular for breakfast?"

As he thought, Ashei marveled at how steady her voice sounded, despite being a little thick with the remnants of sleep. Finally, Link replied after a moment, "Bacon and eggs are fine, but if you want to surprise me, feel free to."

"All right," she called through the door, and she quickly scuttled back to the kitchen to bury herself in the cooking of breakfast.

She made the bacon and eggs he requested, but she also found some wonderful fluffy waffles that she could heat up along with some syrup and sausage to go with it. Busying herself with cooking did take her mind off almost walking in on a naked Link and her cold feet, at least until she was setting down the plates on the table when the door to the bathroom opened, revealing Link (fully clothed in his khaki pants and white shirt, thank Din), who happened to be carrying a pair of socks in one hand.

Glancing down and noticing her bare feet, he offered her the socks.

"You didn't have any on last night, so I assumed you would need some when I got out. Sorry I took so long… I didn't realize how grimy my hair was." She gave him a look. "Was mine okay last night?"

Link laughed and nodded as he went to get the silverware she'd forgotten while she put on the socks, which were toasty warm from the heat of the spell she'd left on them, and it made her smile in pleasure.

"Your hair was fine, Ashei," he told her as he got back to the table with the silverware, "I think your buns and braids keep it cleaner than mine. As much as I love my hat, it doesn't do much in the way of keeping my hair clean." He grinned at her, and – upon noticing her smile – was pleased she found the warm socks to her liking.

She noticed him staring and scowled at him a little, but said while still unable to hide her smile, "Well, perhaps I should braid your hair then?" to which he responded with a blank stare of shock that elicited a small laugh from his teasing companion.

"Oh, I didn't mean it. Your hair's not nearly long enough…" She giggled softly and grinned at him. "Now eat your waffles. I still need to dress so we can meet up with the others and get a move on."

She began to dig into her food with earnest, since Link had observed with some amusement that Ashei rather liked food. Eating it, anyway. And it was then that a sparkle of light twinkled in the edge of his vision and Navi appeared, flying over with sleepy eyes and dusty wings. She tottered over to his plate to look over at the food he'd been given and she hummed deeply in approval of the selection.

"Wonderful cooking as always," Navi complimented Ashei as she munched on a tiny piece of bacon, "it's all so delicious."

Ashei shook her head, smiling gently. "I didn't _make_ it, I just cooked it. That's all." Link shrugged. "It doesn't matter to Navi. Apparently she likes food just as much as you do." He laughed at her stunned expression which she quickly dispelled as a thought occurred to her.

"Speaking of getting a move on… where do we go next?"

Link frowned, sitting back in his chair, thinking on something. "Well, when I met Sheik the first time in the Temple of Time, he said some things to me about the locations of the different temples. What was it…?" He looked at Navi. "Do you remember? What was the one he mentioned after the… 'one under a vast lake?' Didn't it have something to do with–"

"…one within the house of the dead?" She supplied, hesitant.

"Yes, that was it!" he exclaimed quietly. Ashei frowned.

"That would be Kakariko, then. The Shadow Temple beyond the graveyard. But no one except the Sheikah know the song to even access the temple, so we'll have to find Impa… or Sheik." Link scoffed, swallowing a mouthful of egg. "Sheik will probably find us. He tends to do that." Ashei nodded slowly, a dark feeling pooling in her gut, like the one she got when something bad was about to happen.

"I have a bad feeling about this," she said quietly, which made Link study her closely. He frowned at her when he couldn't see anything physically wrong, but when he reached out with his connections to his magic and the Force, he felt the change in the air. He nodded slightly as he let his throat rumble a hum of agreement, and the rest of the breakfast was spent in yet another quiet but companionable silence.

Once Ashei was done, she stood up and glanced at Link. "Will you clean again for me?" He nodded almost before she even asked.

"Of course. You go get dressed."

And so she entered the bathroom door to change into her traveling clothes, which Link eventually did after he cleaned the plates and placed them on the counter that had indeed mysteriously put away the bowls from last night. He put on his green tunic instead of his red one, mostly since he hadn't worn it in a while, but the green color reminded him of the forest, and thoughts of it calmed him instantly, which helped ease the anxiety that the disturbance in the Force had instilled in him.

"Hey, Link?" Navi asked as he was pulling the tunic over his head. "Yeah?" he replied, glancing around for her once he could see again. He finally found her sitting on the rumpled bed sheets he was sure would fix themselves when they left, her little body glowing a soft blue-white.

"So you and Ashei talked about those feelings of yours last night?"

Link blushed. He hadn't expected her to address it so bluntly. She noticed the red in his cheeks and laughed, a sound akin to tiny bells tinkling brightly along the wind. "I suppose you did. It's okay, you know. You don't have to hide it from me, Link. You two are good for each other." Here, her eyes softened and became a little sad. "Besides… you do know that I can't… I can't stay forever… right?"

By now, Link was putting on the gloves that Mikau had let him keep, the ones with the wrist guards. The thought had indeed crossed his mind about Navi, at least once if not twice since he learned he wasn't a Kokiri at all, but a Hylian.

"Yeah… I suppose you're right. I just… didn't really want to think about it."

He was quiet after that, and for a long time as Link finished putting on the rest of his gear, they were both quiet. It wasn't until he finally put on his hat that she flew up to his left shoulder and touched his cheek with a tiny white hand.

"Hey… listen."

He glanced down at her. "Yes?" She smiled brightly up at him, as carefree and light-hearted as ever even though reality had just now caught up with them both and thrown everything for a loop.

"I won't forget you, you know. You can always come back to the forest to find me. All you have to do is call my name, and I'll come." He blinked once, twice, and then he smiled back at her.

"Thanks, Navi. I'll remember that."

And then he looked up and saw that Ashei was finally ready, all of her gear back in its rightful place and her long dark hair bound up in its usual buns and braids. He nodded at her as Navi fluttered over to greet her again, and gestured to the door.

"Shall we?" he asked.

Ashei nodded and took the hand he offered her. "Yes, let's go."

Link reached for the doorknob and opened the door in a single sweeping motion, thoroughly surprising the elder Jedi on the other side. Obi-Wan blinked at them for a moment before clearing his throat and gesturing back down the hallway with his left hand.

"Are we ready to leave, then?" he asked, only to be followed by Anakin's head popping over his right shoulder and asking, "And where are we going, exactly?" Link smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes, Obi-Wan noticed.

"Kakariko. The next temple is in the graveyard."

Ah. That might… be why.

* * *

><p>I'm at 19 12 pages right now, so I figured I should stop and do the Bottom of the Well in the next one. It might be about this long, if not a little shorter, and I didn't want a forty page long update. Also, I really wouldn't know what to call it. If you're not really into this whole Link/OC thing, it's pretty much here to stay, so you can either ignore it or stop reading. Trust me, aside from this chapter and a few spots here and there, I'm not going to shove it in your face.

Sorry this took so long… it's not my fault the story is taking its stupid sweet time with getting things going. But next chapter is definitely going to be the Bottom of the Well centric so you can look forward to that.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

- Hikari no Vikki


	21. Turn Back Time: Bottom of the Well

**Chapter Twenty-One: Turn Back Time – Bottom of the Well**

Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force

Chapter: 21

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: If I owned Zelda, there would be a Majora's Mask 3DS remake by now. And there isn't, is there? Yeah, that's right.

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

Bottom of the Well time! (dances) Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan couldn't put down why he was so on edge. Even Anakin could feel the disturbance in the force, which was saying something. That his padawan was uneasy and jumpy because of it was also very disconcerting.<p>

Mostly because he was the one piloting the gondola speeder that they were taking back to Orca and his brother to return as they'd promised.

Once they were back on land he felt that he could breathe a little better, though the unusually hot temperature had even made Orca comment on the state of the weather. Once their business was concluded, he glanced up at the path, and frowned at the color of the sky over Kakariko. It looked… _wrong_ to Obi-Wan, even though he knew it had been overcast since this morning.

It was Link who recognized the smell before any of the others, and they heard his sharp intake of breath before the words came to identify what it was.

"Fire!" Link gasped, "The village is on fire!"

They took no time to dawdle, not knowing the extent of the damage due to the unyielding grayness of the skies above them and being unable to see much from the village footpath.

However, when they got to the village, they almost wished they hadn't come.

Buildings everywhere had fire in at least one place, whether bursting from a window or two or curling in bright ribbons of flame from the rooftops above. The usual bustle of the village was still there, though now it had become something akin to anarchy rather than organized chaos with most of the citizens rushing about to put out fires or slay some of the creatures that were running about and destroying whatever lay in their path.

"Lizafols?" Navi asked quietly, before coughing from the smoke that hung in the air. Link looked at her sharply but kept his voice under control.

"Navi, get in my hat and stay there until it's safe." She blinked up at him, the dust making it hard to see. "What about you?" she asked, honest worried. "I'll be fine," he told her, "my lungs are bigger than yours, and they can take more of this smoke than yours can." Realizing the truth of his logic, she obeyed, and then Link began looking around frantically to figure out where to go.

"What now?" he muttered. "There's too much going on!"

Anakin, who had been watching the people of the town put out fires with conventional methods such as fire hoses, red canned extinguishers, and magical methods if they could use them, managed to see through the chaos to the well at the very end of the main thoroughfare, and frowned at it,

"Why isn't anyone using the well?" he asked, truly puzzled. Ashei, who knew about the well Anakin was referring to, appeared confused at why he was even asking the question. "What? That well doesn't have any water in it… hasn't for years." This brought the well to Obi-Wan's attention, and he pointed in its direction. "Then why is Sheik standing in front of it?"

Link turned to the direction Obi-Wan was pointing and saw through the smoke and heat to the well where someone wearing traditional Sheikah garb was indeed standing. "Come on," he said to his companions, "let's follow him. I think the villagers have the fires under control."

They all nodded and followed after him.

Sheik stared at the top of the covered well as it rattled furiously. The seal wasn't going to hold for much longer now, but if he could at least get it to head for the Shadow Temple as he'd been instructed…

He blinked, hearing hurried footsteps behind him. Having a pretty good idea of who it was, he whirled towards them, holding out his left palm in a 'stop, come no closer' motion.

"Get back, Link! All of you!"

Just as soon as he said this, the wooden posts above the well and its covering exploded into the air to land several yards away and add to the blazing carnage. Link and the two Jedi turned to watch the explosion but something held Ashei's gaze as Sheik's snapped back to the edge of the stone wall of the well's edge.

"Sheik!" she called out, but it was too late: the giant… thing that crawled from the well grabbed Sheik around the waist and waved him around like he was nothing more than a rag doll, throwing him some distance away down the fiery thoroughfare.

Link and the others ran after him to check and see if he was all right, but Ashei stood alone, her eyes combing the area for the fuzzy black shape of the dark spirit that was now loose somewhere in the village. She gasped when she finally saw it, coming towards the place where Sheik lay and her friends were helping up after he'd been thrown, the tips of the fingers on its large ghostly hands morphing into sharp, deadly claws.

"No!" she screamed, reaching for her sword and the Force and anything at all that might be of help.

Something deep inside herself responded to her call for aid, and the symbol of the Light Medallion glowed on the pommel of the white blade, showering the ground around her with a spattering of sparks. Ashei threw the sword straight at the spot of ground right in front of her friends, and the black thing hit it dead on, screeching in pain. It fled, flying towards the graveyard with all possible haste, taking the chaos of the fire with it, as though it had been what had brought it there in the first place.

Rain began to fall and the fires around the village fizzled into nothing after mere moments; the people of the village rejoicing in all manner of celebration.

Ashei fell to her knees, gasping for breath as a wave of exhaustion hit her. What had just happened? But the thought went away as quickly as it had come when Link suddenly appeared close by her side, helping her up by tugging her left arm around his neck. She blinked, watching Sheik and the Jedi approach them, Sheik holding her white short sword in his right hand.

"Looks like you're still in one piece… my, that was some spell. Did you know that you could work Light magic at all?"

Ashei took the sword when Sheik offered it to her, shaking her head. "No… I didn't. Doesn't that kind of magic… run in families?" Sheik raised a fine golden eyebrow. "Perhaps it does. It has a unique energy signature that allows only certain people to use it, and it most certainly happens to follow solid genetic lines rather than being a force that anyone can use," he said smoothly.

He shot a look toward the direction of the Jedi beside him, who couldn't see his eyes, and a smile formed beneath the fabric of his cowl.

"But," he said softly as that smile fell, "this is not the time for that discussion." He flicked his head towards the graveyard at the back of the village. "The chaos you saw just now was caused by the coming of that evil shadow spirit, which has just now broken free of its confines after so many years of being imprisoned in that well."

"So that's why no one could use it…" Ashei mused, apparently only having known that it couldn't be used, rather than the reason why.

"That's… part of it, yes," he said slowly, "but nonetheless, it was Impa, the leader of Kakariko Village, who sealed the evil shadow spirit in the bottom of the well all those years ago… and today that seal broke because the darkness that fuels the spirit grew to be too great, and now it has escaped into the world…" His single visible eye closed as he sighed deeply, and he stared forlornly after the graveyard entrance.

"I believe Impa has gone to the Shadow Temple in an attempt to seal it again, but…" – here, his right hand balled into a fist – "she will be in danger without any help!" Sheik looked up sharply in Link's direction.

"Link! Impa is one of the six sages! Destroy the evil shadow spirit and save her!" He paused a moment to take a deep breath and calm down before continuing. "You recall that I told you of the entrance in the graveyard, yes? It is, in fact, beneath it, and you cannot reach it without Nocturne of Shadow."

Link nodded, having already fished out the Ocarina from one of his pockets.

"I'm ready."

Sheik nodded and pulled out his harp out of seemingly nowhere, since his traditional garb hardly left anything to the imagination, let alone allowed a place to hide a harp on his person.

"This is melody that will draw you into the infinite darkness that absorbs even time… listen to it, Link."

And so Sheik began picking out the melody on the strings of his harp, with Link picking it up in a round after a few bars on the repeat of Sheik's playing. Then Sheik began strumming the harp gently in a mysterious second melody that stole away the breath of all who heard it, tracing a shiver down every spine, raising gooseflesh and making hairs stand on end.

When it was finished, all was silent except for the rain.

"You will need an item to traverse the Temple, as it is full of traps and illusions that try even the best of us who can see through them." Sheik said finally after the last of the song's effects were gone. "And that item lies at the bottom of the well. There should be several of them in fact, but you cannot get them _in the present time_. You will need to utilize the features of that sword and go back to the day you drew it in order to investigate the windmill that powers the well."

Ashei frowned. "Turn back time? But… that was seven years ago. The well was still in operation then."

A grin formed beneath Sheik's cowl.

"That is true, little Sheikah. But… should one make the windmill go faster than it should… the well will dry up, and allow the access you seek." Sheik chuckled. "Simply ask the windmill's caretaker about how to play the Song of Storms. I believe _that_ should do the trick." And with that, he disappeared in usual flash of light.

Ashei turned to Link.

"When he said… 'that sword…' he meant the Master Sword, didn't he?"

Link nodded slowly. "Don't you remember? He told me before when we were walking through the forest after defeating Phantom Ganon. I didn't think anything of it then, but… it looks like I have to do it now." Ashei frowned at him, and he reached up to squeeze her left shoulder as a sign of comfort.

"Don't worry about me. Even as a child I'm still capable of looking after myself. And besides, it won't seem like more than anywhere than a few hours to a day to you, depending on how long it takes me to get back here from the Temple." Ashei tilted her head at him, confused.

"Don't you have to walk there from here?"

Link shook his head and held up his Ocarina. "There's a warp point inside the Temple. It'll make the journey a little faster. I'll be back before you know it."

And then he turned on his heel and nodded at the two Jedi.

"Why don't you see what you can do to help the villagers in the meantime? I'm sure there's still plenty of things to fix after that fire." Obi-Wan nodded. He didn't claim to understand exactly how 'turning back time' was supposed to do much of anything, and he was a smart man, but he trusted the young man's judgment, and would wait until he got back from his errand.

"We'll shack up at Impa's house if you're not back by nightfall, in case you need to find us then." Obi-Wan said. Link nodded and then raised the Ocarina to his lips and played the Prelude of Light.

.oOo.

Link stared down at the hands that had been his as a child, baffled that striking the Master Sword into the pedestal had actually worked – though it felt _wrong_.

Maybe it was the fact that he was so _small_, or that his voice wasn't at the right pitch. (He had forgotten how high it had been as a child, and the sound of his child voice was as foreign to him as his adult voice had been the first time he heard it.) But that wasn't what really bothered him. Nor was it the fact that some of the things that had been taken from his hat were now back again, like his slingshot and his boomerang. It was something else.

Something he couldn't quite put a finger on.

But his train of thought was interrupted when, not a moment after he set foot outside the temple, he began to register the smell of smoke and fire. In that moment, he was an adult again, remembering the recent events (in his experience) in Kakariko and the fire that had been consuming it.

It was Navi that brought him back to the (current) present.

"Link! That fire… do you think… what Sheik said about returning to 'the day you drew the sword…' did he really…?"

Link blinked, and he suddenly realized that the Temple courtyard was as beautiful as he'd remembered it being. If the sky above him hadn't been full of soot and the air tainted slightly with the stain of darkness, he might have believed the events of his recent memory were nothing more than a dream.

But…

"I think he meant exactly that, Navi," Link replied, and then shook his head at the wrongness of his child voice. "And I sound like a duck on helium. Let's… hurry up and get this over with, okay?" Navi giggled. "You do sound funny. I forgot how high your voice used to be…" Link glared at her gently.

"Shut up!"

The mood was ruined though, after he exited the courtyard and entered the main square, where the fighting that had still been going on when he'd entered. It appeared to be beginning to shift in balance towards the victory of Ganondorf's soldiers, with mages and soldiers beginning to flee or die. Navi frowned at the scenes around them: the dead and the dying, blood and bits of flesh spattering the streets that were still streets instead of dusty flagstones and tattered rags that, in the future, would later be looked and walked upon only by screeching, moving corpses.

"It's so different still," she whispered to him as he snuck through the gruesome chaos, "it still looks like a city that people could live in… if they just happened to come back and clean up all the blood…"

Link nodded, not trusting himself to speak until they reached the south gate.

"I kind of wonder why no one _did_ come back… huh. Too many bad memories or something, I guess. Or maybe Ganondorf forbade it…" He shook his head and turned back toward Hyrule Field, frowning when he noticed the rosy orange-red shades of the sunset painted across the wide expanse of the plains.

"Huh. That's odd. I guess it must have been almost sundown before I drew the sword." Link sighed. "Skullkids be damned… I'm getting to Kakariko tonight." Navi grinned at him. "Not so scary now are they?"

Link chuckled. "Not after that thing in the Water Temple, no not really."

But he kept his sword hand at the ready just in case.

.oOo.

Ashei sighed in frustration as she lifted up another box and turned up nothing. She was helping Miss Anju hunt down her flock of Cuccos that had run off during the chaos if the fire, and not having much luck with it.

"Need some help?" a male voice asked from behind.

She glanced around, and her eyebrows rose in surprise when she saw Anakin leaning into the side of a nearby building, the sun peeking through the clouds and hitting his short padawan hair and braid at just the right angle, turning it from dark brown to hazel bronze in an instant.

"Yeah, actually," she said with a sigh, "these damned Cuccos are freaking everywhere damn it…"

It was a testament to her frustration exactly how much this Cucco hunting was beginning to wear on her nerves, considering the unusual amount of curses she was letting past her guard. Anakin noticed this, having been somewhat observant of the behaviors and speaking habits of his traveling companions, and he agreed to help without complaint.

This wasn't why he'd offered to help, though, because speaking of being observant, he'd definitely noticed what had been going on with Ashei and Link since the incident in the Water Temple, and he was honestly curious as to how things had changed since last night after the two had shared a room.

"I actually wanted to ask you something," he began as they walked up the western road towards Death Mountain, "what's up with you and Link?"

Ashei, who had actually managed to finally catch one of the Cuccos that happened to wander across her path, accidentally squeezed it a little too hard and it let out and ear-splitting screech that almost made her drop it.

"What?" she coughed, looking back at Anakin incredulously.

He shrugged, picking up another Cucco that had wandered over towards the sound of its brethren's distress. "You heard me," he said simply. She shot him a dry but slightly amused look. "You have no tact, you know that right?" Anakin laughed and grinned at her.

"Yeah. It's why I know I'll never be a great at negotiations like my master is… but…" here his face became serious again, "you didn't answer the question."

Ashei sighed, dropping her Cucco back into Anju's Cucco pen when they'd walked back, about four (now five) Cuccos wandering about in it. Knowing that there were a total of seven, she motioned for Anakin to continue holding onto the Cucco in his arms after she explained they seemed to be attracted to the cries of their fellow Cuccos in pain.

"Come on, the last one is behind the Potion Shop," she said to Anakin, "and keep that one with you."

As they walked back down the western road towards the Potion Shop, Ashei sighed again in an admission of defeat. "We… well, Link and I… ugh." She put her face in her hands and rubbed her forehead to ease the tightness of the coming headache that had been brought on by the chasing of those stupid Cuccos…

"It's kind of complicated," she tried again as they walked through the Potion's Shop to get to the alley behind it. "We know that we have feelings for each other, but… neither one of us really knows what it's like to be loved, you know?" She motioned for Anakin to squeeze the Cucco, which he did, enticing the nearby Cucco straight into Ashei's arms.

Anakin nodded at her response.

"I kind of get that. Then again, we're not really allowed to make attachments like that. Apparently things don't end well or something. But… there's something else, isn't there?" Ashei shot him a confused look, not sure how to respond because she wasn't sure what he was getting at.

Thankfully she didn't have to ask because right as soon as she and Anakin returned the two remaining Cuccos back to the pen, Anju came rounding the corner with a smile on her face.

"Oh! Thank the goddesses that you found them!" she exclaimed, reaching down to pet one. "I don't know what I would do without them!"

Ashei returned Anju's smile with one of her own.

"That's good to know. You breed them, don't you? And then you sell their eggs or offspring in the markets here?" Anju nodded. "Yes. They're how I make a living. Or… well, how I used to make a living." She sighed. "Impa left me everything she had when she left for the Shadow Temple, and I could live comfortably off of that for the rest of my days if I wanted to. But… these little ones… they're my babies. Perhaps I might move them in the house instead of keeping them out here… I don't think I could stand to live in that house anymore with all that quiet."

Ashei nodded. "You could get some allergy medicine made for you so you can touch them more often without having so many attacks…"

Anju laughed softly and nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I think I might do that." Her smile became less genuine as her thoughts turned back to Impa. "Because, as much as I want to believe that Lady Impa will come back this time… I… really don't think she's going to." She shook her head in reluctant acceptance, at least until a slight smile came back to her face again.

"What was that I heard you and Anakin discussing a moment ago? Something about you and that young man, Link?"

Ashei's cheeks blushed a bright crimson with embarrassment as Anju brought up their earlier conversation. "Miss Anju!" she hissed, "Shush! The village gossips will hear!" Anju simply giggled some more, and then asked when she was done, "Well, did you ever talk to him about what you and I discussed?"

Ashei sighed, once again resigned to talking about something she'd rather keep between her and Link.

"Yes, I did. Last night, in fact."

Anju giggled again, and this drew the attention of a nearby woman with dark brown hair wearing blue work clothes and a soot stained apron who tapped the shoulder of a woman next to her with bright auburn hair tied into a bun and they began to whisper amongst each other until they saw Ashei glaring at them murderously until they scurried around the corner into a nearby alley to begin their gossiping out of her sight.

"Ugh," Ashei groaned, "Anakin, remind me to track them down later so I can wipe their memories or something… I'd rather not like to hear anything strange involving me… or you."

Anakin seemed surprised. "Why me?" Ashei gave him another dry look.

"Simply because you happen to be standing next to me with Miss Anju giggling about something like a star struck school girl…"

And while Anakin blanched at the thought of being talked about like that with _Ashei_ as the one he was 'involved' with, Ashei turned back to Anju, folding her arms and frowning severely.

"What, in the name of Din's good earth was that for?"

Anju giggled softer as she gestured grandly to the town with the sweep of her left hand.

"It's like this, Lady Ashei, this town has been through a lot since Ganondorf came to power. There's not a whole lot to talk about except who has lost what at his hands, or how worse one's neighbors are fairing in comparison to you. It's been such a sorrowful and somber town these past seven years, and you and your group have changed that." She smiled softly at Ashei by way of an apology.

"So, while it might perhaps inconvenience you for a little while, I can assure you that just allowing them to gossip about something happy for once will more than make up for it. Besides," Anju said with a wink, "it'll blow over in a week or two." Then she giggled again.

"Oh, by the way… did you finally kiss him?"

Ashei groaned and buried her face in her hands, and Anju couldn't help but burst out in a fit of laughter and tears.

"You did! You did, didn't you?"

It so happened that at that time, Obi-Wan was walking down their way from the direction of the well, and came to stand by Anakin to watch the two women with a considerable amount of curiosity. He nudged his padawan in the arm. "What's that all about?" he asked quietly. Anakin made a sound of amusement in the back of his throat and grinned.

"Apparently Ashei and Link talked about their feelings last night and I'm fairly certain that their discussion ended in a kiss. Anju's been busy teasing Ashei about it for the past five minutes…"

He shook his head with a soft chuckle. "Women are weird."

"Which is why you should never get involved with one," Obi-Wan said dryly, "your current circumstances not withstanding."

Anakin nodded. "Agreed."

.oOo.

"Take that, you bag of bones!" Link yelled, tossing a Deku Nut behind him at the pursuing band of Stalchildren. Night had happened to fall while he was traveling to Kakariko Village straight from Castle Town, and since he hadn't bothered to stay on the marked path in order to take the fastest route there, a couple of Stalkids had thus erupted from the ground for whatever reason and began chasing him as he ran the remaining distance to the village.

He hadn't been that far from the village when night had fallen, but navigating through the saplings that would eventually become the forest surrounding the village had made the last leg of the journey a little harder than it had been previously.

But he made it there nonetheless, and once he caught his breath after leaning up against the side of the trailhead he entered the Kakariko Village of the current present.

"It's still just a little village, isn't it?" Navi said to him as she perched on his shoulder while he walked through the streets and alleyways. Link nodded to her in response. "But now all the people that managed to come here when they fled Castle Town are taking residence, and so it will probably expand very quickly as apartments are built for the refugees…"

He glanced over down the western thoroughfare at the many parked horses and speeders that crowed the still tiny street.

"But yeah, you're right. It still looks so tiny in comparison to the Kakariko Village that I'm used to as an adult."

Finally he managed to find the windmill, since he wasn't really as familiar with the Kakariko of his childhood as much as he was with the Kakariko of his adulthood, despite its smaller size. So he scrambled up the steps leading up to the windmill's entrance, and he quickly made his way inside.

Upon closing the door, Link began to hear that strange lilting song again being played with that peculiar instrument the windmill's caretaker had with him.

"What was it Sheik said?" he asked Navi quietly while still standing next to the entrance, "That we should ask him to teach us the Song of Storms?" Navi nodded as she fluttered aloft in the right side of his vision.

"Yeah, I believe that was it."

Link climbed up on the spinning center of the windmill and rode it until he could jump off on the solid ground where the windmill's caretaker sat happily spinning the handle of his strange instrument. At first, he seemed flustered, not expecting much of anything beyond the monotonous (but apparently very enjoyable) life as the windmill's caretaker, but he quickly flashed a happy smile at Link, which made him slightly wary of him considering how he had reacted to seeing him in the future.

"Oh, hello!" the man cried out, pausing in playing his instrument to run a hand through his short, dark hair. His deep blue eyes were bright with laughter, as if he were watching something that amused him greatly. "And who might you be, little one? Or shall you remain nameless?"

Link blinked up at him owlishly.

"I think I'll remain nameless if you don't mind. All I wanted to ask you about was if you knew how to play the Song of Storms… and who are you exactly, and what are you playing?"

The man laughed. "So many questions! It is good, I suppose, that today's youth are so hungry for knowledge." He chuckled softly. "I am Guru-Guru, the caretaker of this windmill. I also happen to know how to play that song you just asked about, since I play it all the time! I love that song!" Link nodded. "But, your instrument… what is it?"

Guru-Guru paused to look down at the boxed contraption that he wore over his body like one of those large drums Link had seen in books when he was younger. "Ah, this? This is a phonograph. The windmill seems to respond to my playing it quite well, and so I make sure to practice all the time!"

The man laughed again, and then nodded when he was finished.

"But you wanted to learn the Song of Storms didn't you? Well, I can teach it to you as long as you have something to play it on." Link nodded and pulled out the Ocarina from one of his pockets.

"Will this do?"

"Oh!" exclaimed Guru-Guru, "That is quite the Ocarina! Yes, yes, that will do splendidly. Come closer and have a listen."

Link did so, cradling the ceramic instrument in his hands as he listened.

The windmill man began to turn the handle of the instrument, the phonograph as he'd called it, drawing out that lilting melody he'd heard when he'd first entered the windmill. Once Guru-Guru had gone through the entire thing, he nodded to Link for him to repeat it with him.

"Now we play it together!"

And so Link pressed the Ocarina to his lips and played along with the man, becoming consumed in the fast pace the song brought along with it. Soon he was lost in the music more than he'd ever been, and it took him sometime to register the look of shock on Guru-Guru's face, as well as the fact the he was… being.. rained on?

Link looked up.

Only he had to blink to beat back droplets of water falling from the ceiling at a light, but considerable pace, and then he turned around to see the inside of the windmill spinning around like crazy! "Go around, go around, go around," the man behind him muttered crazily. "What? It's going way too fast!"

"Link?" Navi whispered to him from underneath his hat, "I think we should leave now…" Link nodded, scrambling out of there before anything else weird happened.

Link stopped outside to catch his breath, since the windmill had been spinning _very_ fast and it had taken a lot out of him. Something was nagging at his mind though, about the very _first_ time he'd entered the windmill, back when he was an adult.

"Hey, Navi?" he asked quietly. She appeared out of his hat and floated in the air before him.

"Yeah?" Link frowned.

"When we met that man before, in the future, didn't he say something about… an Ocarina kid?" Navi blinked at him. "I… um… yeah. I think he did." Link turned around to look at the windmill door behind him. "So then… what he said… we really did… meet him…"

Navi folded her arms and huffed softly. "And I thought he was just crazy."

Link turned back around to give her a look. "Well, I wouldn't count that out just yet. Even before we played that song the man was creepy." Navi couldn't disagree with him on that one. Just then though, Link looked up when he heard the sound of water receding, and he climbed down to the well to investigate.

"Oh look!" he said to Navi as he glanced over the side, "The water's gone away, just like Sheik said it would!"

Navi glanced down the long, dark tunnel and grimaced.

"How much do you want to bet the whole thing is full of spiders?" Link laughed. "Come now, Navi. It's been full of water all this time. What do you think is down there?" Navi grumbled, fluttering down by Link so he could have a little light to see by,

"Death," she answered, "Death and despair."

"Pessimist," he said to her as they reached the bottom, and together they entered the darkness that was the Bottom of the Well.

.oOo.

"I told you there were spiders! What did I tell you?"

Link glanced in Navi's direction with a blank un-amused expression while the Skulltula crumbled in a blaze of bright blue fire before them.

"Really, Navi? It's just a Skulltula."

Navi folded her arms and glared at him. "_Just_ a Skulltula, huh." Link sighed, exasperated. "It wasn't even going to eat you. You're probably too small." But still he shook his head and smiled a little. "It's nice to know you haven't changed about that, though. I'm not about to turn into your spider killer either, so if we see any more of them in here, you're just gonna have to suck it up, okay?" Navi sighed, unfolding her arms and releasing her glare.

"Fine, fine. I'll be quiet about it."

Link smiled, satisfied with their agreement, only to come to a complete stop when faced with a _wall_ and a skeleton.

"Umm… Navi?"

Navi fluttered around the head of the skeleton, tilting her head as though listening intently. "Hey, I hear something… that's weird. It's like I can hear the spirits whispering in the other room…"

Link raised a fine golden eyebrow, his expression skeptical.

"Uh, well… what do they say?" Navi frowned as she listened, her face twisting in confusion. "Look for the eye of truth… that's what they are saying." She paused, crossing her arms and floating towards the wall behind her to lean on it so she could think.

However, Navi appeared to _pass right through _the wall, shocking Link.

"Navi!" he called, and without thought, he went through the same direction. He came through to find a whole new area sprawled out before him, and he blinked in surprise. "It was… an illusion." A sound drew his attention to the water before him and he noticed Navi crawling out of the murky liquid, coughing a little.

"Pheh… ugh. Yeah, I'd say so…"

Link picked up Navi and helped dry her off. "Do you think Sheik was referring to illusions like that when he mentioned that the Shadow Temple was full of them?" Navi nodded. "I'd bet my wings and magic he did. I'll also bet that this place is full of them too, so watch where you step."

Link nodded, and he reached out to the Force to ask if it would guide him through the well until they found what it was they were looking for. It agreed, and his senses sharpened even further with the flood of its calming presence, much more so until he could sense the Green Bubble that approached them even before he saw the green glow of its flames against the walls as it passed in front of them, following the path of the water before them.

"I say we follow it," Link said quietly.

"What, so we can burn ourselves?" Navi asked by way of a reply. Link shook his head. "Bubbles are kind of stupid, so it won't even know we're there if we follow behind it. Besides, as long as we follow the path of the water, we should be safe, because if there were pits in the path of the water, we'd know about them."

"Ah," Navi murmured, "that makes sense."

So they waited for the Green Bubble to come by again and they followed it along the path of the water, right up until Link noticed the _giant_ triforce symbol in the floor that was… awfully hard to miss.

"Something tells me I should play that song the Princess taught me right here," he told Navi sarcastically. Navi made a similar sound of sarcastic agreement in her throat by way of a response. "You think?"

So he pulled out the Ocarina and quickly played it, watching as the fountain before him stopped spouting water and the water he was standing in drained away. He also stepped out of the path so that the Green Bubble could pass again, and they followed it back to the beginning where Link noticed a crawlspace below in the place where water had been moments before.

"If we needed to play the song to lower the water," Link mused, "then maybe it would be beneficial to us to investigate that crawlspace there?"

Navi nodded, floating beside him. "Sure, why not?"

So they entered it, coming into a small room with another Skulltula, which Navi did not complain about being there, as she'd promised. They climbed the wall behind it and entered the metal door at the end of the ledge above.

_Swoosh! Shching! _

Link turned around, surprised by the sound of metal bars rising up from the ground behind him. "Oh, I hate it when they do that…" he muttered, but then he frowned. What was making that sound? He looked down, suddenly realizing it was the shifting of his own footsteps; crunching on the ground he stood on.

Immediately the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he realized what it was he stood on…

Bones. Everywhere. Little ones, big ones, long ones, short ones… every kind of bone imaginable, and most of them were human. He gulped, and Navi whimpered a little when she noticed it too.

"What… what is this?" she asked in a tiny voice that shook with fear.

Link had no words, and he had even less when he turned around. Neither of them had the ability to gasp or squeak as they looked upon four skinny arms rising above the piles of bones that they now realized were in the walls too, the… bony hands attached to the arms also sporting blood-red claws.

"Umm… Navi? Can you hear those spirits now?"

Navi whimpered again, and Link had to take that as a no, since she couldn't seem to say much of anything else. Link sighed, and reached for the Force again, hoping it would calm him, but instead… he found something else. It didn't calm him… really… but he could sense something beneath the bones in the center of the room. It was like when he sensed the Green Bubble before, but this thing… it was intelligent.

Or at least it was more intelligent than the Green Bubble had been. It had the mind of a senseless killer: a hunter, waiting for prey. Link glanced the milk white arms that rose above the ground, wavering in the air with their claws twitching in anticipation.

He groaned. He was going to have to… no. Just… no.

Link turned around, but the door he'd used to enter was locked tight. He sighed deeply. There was no way around it, was there? He turned to the arm nearest him and he cleared his throat.

"Navi? I'm going to draw it out… if I can. I want you… to target it, so that I can… attack it… if – _once_, once I get free of… _that_." He shuddered, and Navi flittered in the air before him. "Are… are you sure?" Link looked at his fairy companion pitifully. "It doesn't seem like there's any other way…" Navi grimaced, but she nodded reluctantly.

"I'll do what I can," she said quietly.

And then Link stepped toward the arm, his right hand wrapped lightly around his throat at the suggestion of the Force that guided him.

It was a good thing that he'd listened to it too, for as soon as he stepped close to it, the hand reached for him, quick as lightning, the fingers being longer than he'd anticipated as they curled around his head, digging into the flesh of his neck. He could feel the blood trickling down as they dug in, but he grit his teeth, ignoring the sprayed dirt and sounds behind him, and reached up.

Calling upon Din's Fire, he used it to encompass his entire left hand and press it to the fingers that held him, and they whipped away from him in pain the moment he tried to pry them from his neck. Turning around, he looked for the monster that he knew had surfaced by now, and he froze when he saw it.

It… was this… grotesque _thing_: a white stump with a long neck and head with sharp teeth and stubby little arms, smeared all over with blood and other unmentionable colors of liquid. It took a single shout from Navi, who buzzed and jingled a bright, neon green around its head, "Get moving!" before he was able to actually do so, drawing his Kokiri Sword before it reached him.

He was lucky it wasn't very fast, but he supposed it didn't have to be if its prey couldn't fight back. But Link could, and as soon as it got close enough, its long neck bending down so that the head could reach, jaw unhinging in order to go in for a killing bite… he charged to the side and slashed – right across the weakest part of the neck where it bent to reach for him.

It hadn't missed him completely though, for even as it fell, the jaws of the creature raked against his uncovered arm and blood dripped in rivulets to the floor, covering the bones and the twitching corpse of the creature's body.

Link hissed, grasping his injured arm as he pressed himself against the wall to watch the creature's baiting arms disintegrate along with the creature itself, and he had to bite his tongue to keep from howling at the stinging sensation the teeth had left behind was painful enough to send spots dancing along the edges of his sight.

"Navi," he breathed, "that bottle… of red potion… do we still have it?"

Navi nodded, and she dug into the hat quickly to bring out the bottle of red liquid, uncorking and spreading half of it onto the wound itself and forcing Link to drink the rest. He lay there for a little while as he waited for the potion to take effect, which it did eventually, but he still shuddered from the twitches of phantom pain as he watched a chest appear in the center of the room.

"I guess… that's what we're looking for?"

Navi scowled. "Better be. We can't take facing another one of those."

Link nodded shakily in agreement as he walked over to his sword, picking it up and sheathing it, not bothering to clean it off. Then he turned to the chest, and flicked the switch, opening it.

"Yes!" he cried out in relief, "These must be what the spirits were referring to." He scooped up the lenses that looked like half a set of goggles, only purple and ringed with tiny red spikes. There were switches on the sides of each of them, and a set of instructions described a way to turn them on using nothing but the energy of one's thoughts. Lucky for them, there happened to be exactly four.

"Stuff them in your hat and let's get out of here," Navi told him.

"Just play the Ocarina and get to the Temple." Link, not wanting to spend another moment there, nodded in agreement. So once he stuffed the lenses in his hat, he pressed the Ocarina to his lips, and after a few moments, he was gone in a trail of light.

.oOo.

It was almost night again when he got back, trudging through the front door of Impa's house, a haunted look in his eyes. Mentally exhausted as he was, he hadn't even bothered to search for Obi-Wan or Anakin. The only one he wanted right now was Ashei.

Ashei was alone in the house, busying patching up places on the inside with her magic when she felt him. Though she wanted to run to him, she sensed that something… wasn't right. So when he finally rounded the last corner and entered the dining room where she was, she stopped what she was doing and walked over to him slowly.

"Are you… okay?" she asked him softly.

Link blinked at her, and it was a long time before he could speak.

"No… not really. But… I got what we needed." He shuddered. "That… wasn't pleasant." Ashei sighed, and reached for the Force instinctively while reaching up to touch the left side of his face, rubbing her thumb over the skin, which was rougher than she'd expected it to be.

"Hey… you'll be okay. I promise that you will. You hear me?" She said this gently, but her eyes were hard and demanding.

Link leaned into her touch, feeling the soothing presence of the Force that she brought with it. "Ahh… thank you. I needed that." And then he let her move in close for a hug, and he relaxed slightly. "May I… may I kiss you again?" he whispered, and she stepped away, smiling at him again. The smile was what did it, and as she pressed her lips against his for a few brief moments, it was the smile that erased the fear and despair that had been eating at his heart the entire way back to Kakariko.

"So," she whispered to him as they stood there, foreheads pressed close together in the silence, "would you like to help me make dinner? Anju's out, and… Obi-Wan and Anakin will be back from whatever they've been doing since lunch soon."

Link stepped away and nodded. "Sure. It'll help keep my mind off… things. Thank you, by the way. I don't… I don't know what I'd do without you."

She smiled at him again, and his heart lightened at the brightness it brought.

"Hmm. I don't know. You'd probably be okay… but… would you like to tell me about what happened?" Link grimaced. "Not really… but I probably should. It's not something I think I should keep to myself. And… I would like it very much if I could share a bed with you again tonight." He rubbed on side of his face with his right hand.

"I have a feeling I'm going to need someone tonight to hold onto… and I don't think Anakin or Obi-Wan will want to volunteer."

Ashei grinned. Despite whatever had happened to him when he'd gone back in time, he still had the ability to make jokes. It was a good sign, she thought.

"Yeah, I'll see what I can do."

And so Ashei took Link's hand and led him to the kitchen where the ingredients for tonight's diner were waiting to be prepared.

* * *

><p>Gwah… the Dead Hand is scary. Well, Shadow Temple is up next! (This one might take longer, but now I have a post for the New Year!) Hopefully the LinkOC stuff isn't too much for you. I would want someone to hug if I had nightmares from that thing. (Like Link said, I don't think Anakin would volunteer, lol!)

Happy New Year, y'all! :D

- Hikari no Vikki


	22. The Shadow Temple

**Chapter Twenty-Two: The Shadow Temple**

Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force

Chapter: 22

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: I'm running out of things to say here… you should know I don't own either Zelda or Star Wars at this point… (Disney owns that last one, actually.)

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

We've come a long way haven't we? Well, since the Great Deku Tree anyway. We're getting into the twenties now… (Hey, my fanfic has enough chapters to be able to drink, lol)

But, in all seriousness, we still have a ways to go. I'll do my best to make this Temple interesting, since I wrote out most of the interesting things in the last two chapters… oh well. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan and Anakin trudged into the house sometime around halfway through the cooking of the dinner they'd been preparing for them. They looked a bit ragged, and Anakin smelled of a strange mix of peppermint and ash, but for the most part it looked like they'd been successful at getting their goals accomplished.<p>

Link had been talking with Ashei before they came in, the former having to keep his voice low and steady in order for him to get out every detail or else he'd begin to shake and have to put down the knife he was using to cut things.

Knowing Link would still have trouble repeating his ordeal to Anakin and Obi-Wan when they came in (despite the fact that he seemed to be a bit better after talking about it) she decided to tell it to them herself, and this worked out quite nicely, as Link had relayed every aspect of his journey into the past quite clearly and Ashei parroted it all back to the two Jedi with astonishing clarity.

"So… about these lenses," Obi-Wan began sometime after Ashei had finished speaking and they were well into consuming their meals, "how do they work, exactly?" And he was honestly curious about how they looked, too.

Link fished them out of his hat and spread them on a clear spot in between the dishes on the table.

"This is what they look like. And there was a set of instructions that said they could be turned on with either the little red switch on the side," – here, he pointed to a small gap in between the little red spikes – "or with a simple thought. It draws on your energy though, no matter what way you turn it on, so it's best not to use it for long periods of time."

"Lucky there's four of them," Anakin muttered through a mouthful of potatoes. Obi-Wan frowned. "Anakin, don't speak with your mouth full… surely your mother taught you better." Anakin blinked, and he blushed.

"Sorry," he mumbled after he swallowed, "I forgot myself for a moment there." And this he followed up with a sheepish smile.

"Yes," Link said with a smile that was finally able to reach his eyes, "we're very lucky, aren't we Ashei?" He turned to his right where she sat and flashed a soft grin down at her. She smiled at him smugly. "Of course." And so the meal progressed quietly after that and without incident. They agreed to sleep in whatever rooms suited them best, and they would leave in the morning after breakfast, to be sure they were well rested and fed, as Link strongly recommended it for where they were going.

"I may not have yet seen the inside of that Temple," he told them solemnly as they cleaned their dishes, "but if the bottom of that well is any indication, we'll need all of our strength and wits about us." And so they agreed.

They chose to pair up as they had last night, with Anakin and Obi-Wan in the room they'd used the two times they'd stayed before, and Link stayed with Ashei in the room at the far end of the hall, which had a large single bed big enough for them to share.

Ashei wandered off to the bathroom to change back into her pair of pajamas, coming back to find all of Link's things except his khaki pants and white shirt in a pile on the floor, with Navi lying curled up on his hat – a small piece of cloth serving as a blanket – on the room's large wooden dresser. She smiled a little as she tilted her head, watching Link sleep. He did look quite a bit more youthful that way, without the strange weight of nonexistent years in his eyes.

And then she climbed in and curled up next to him…

…only to be woken sometime later in the night to the sound of muffled whimpering, and much tossing and turning beside her. Blearily, she stared into the half-darkness, her eyes adjusting slowly to the soft light the moon cast upon their bed. It was only when she realized that it was Link who was tossing and turning beside her, she suddenly remembered why he'd requested to share a bed with her tonight, and she shook him by the shoulders violently.

This was something of a bad idea, for as soon as Link had opened his eyes he leaped at Ashei and pinned her to the bed underneath him. Ashei, more than a little stunned, made a quick decision and moved her head upwards just enough to press a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth, hoping it would distract him and bring him back to reality.

It did, after a while, and then he apologized to her for pinning her to the bed. But she simply smiled at him, told him to go back to sleep, and she muttered something that Link couldn't hear, though he instantly understood it was a warding spell of some kind. He hummed quietly in thanks, took her into his arms, and slept without nightmares for the rest of the night.

.oOo.

The next day after breakfast, the four of them plus one guardian fairy all stood upon the Shadow Temple's sigil, which was exactly where the Nocturne of Shadow had promised to take them.

They trod down the steps and into a small, square room filled with many unlit torches, archaic writing patterned in circles around a small stone pedestal, and a giant metal door carved with the weeping eye symbol of the Sheikah. Ashei blinked at the writing, only managing to grasp bits and pieces of it.

"Can you tell what it says, Link?" she asked, utterly bewildered.

He frowned at it, but could definitely make out more than Ashei could.

"It's mostly spells of protection and warding, to keep out black magic and the like." Link glanced over to where some of the chalk had been rubbed away. "Though not all of the spells are still intact. Most of them are, but those there, and there are gone." He pointed to the circles as he mentioned them. "As for getting in…" he said as he stepped carefully around the chalk markings, "I just need to light all these torches at once."

Anakin frowned. "How are you going to do that?"

Link grinned back at him and held out a small ball of fire encased in a diamond shaped crystal. "With this. It's a spell, a pattern of energy if you will, that allows me to summon balls of fire from wherever I stand." His smile softened, and he warned them not to panic.

"Just stay where you are, the fire won't hurt you in the slightest."

And then he turned back around to face the door and he quickly gathered the energy to him, gave it explicit instructions, and then crouched to press his left palm flat against the stone of the pedestal.

Immediately the air around him heated up in a short amount of time, combusting instantly in a perfect, fiery sphere. It burst out in all directions, lighting the torches as it went, but it did not harm his friends as he'd told them it would, and it quickly dispersed into nothing as the energy fizzled away…

The two Jedi stared at him, a little surprised, and Ashei was looking him up and down in approval.

"So that's the Din's Fire spell," she observed with a smile quirking her lips upwards slightly, "I shall have to have you teach it to me once we're done with this place." Link turned around and nodded, but the moment was short lived, as the large metal door behind them began shifting against the stone, sliding upwards to allow them access to the Shadow Temple.

Obi-Wan frowned, already on alert from the wave of darkness that began to creep from the entrance and foul the air before them.

"We should take great care from this point forward," he warned them, "the Dark Side of the Force is… very strong in this place. It's almost as if it's taken root and grown here…" Beside him, Ashei huffed a soft growl. "It shouldn't be able to do that… this is sacred ground, for Din's sake! I may not have proper Sheikah training, but I know for certain it shouldn't be like this!"

Link cleared his throat and murmured softly, "Ashei… calm yourself. I did say we'd need all our wits about us, didn't I?"

Ashei blinked at him, a little embarrassed at herself for her outburst.

"Sorry," she muttered in a grumbling apology, "it's probably the darkness making me edgy… let's just get this over with."

The others couldn't agree more, so they walked quickly past the torches, being mindful not to step on any more of the chalk circles of protection as they entered the temple.

After the initial darkness had past, they walked slowly down the hallway and rounded the first corner to come to a large pit that barred their path. There was also targets at the each end of the pit that Ashei said were put their for initiates who preferred to use grappling hooks or chain-based mechanisms like Link's Longshot instead of jumping across gaps.

It was the seemingly impassable wall at the end of the gap that stopped them, though. Link frowned, and he called for Navi then, quickly appearing before him in a burst of bright blue-white light.

"What is it?" she asked, and he pointed to the wall. "I need you to check and see if it's an illusion, just like that other wall was. You know, the one in the well?" Navi nodded and she obeyed, floating over to the wall and testing it with a finger of her tiny white hand. Seeing the finger pass through the wall as though nothing was there, she floated back and told him that it was indeed and illusion. Link nodded to his companions and told them to turn on their lenses, each one flashing purple in the dim light.

"Oh!" Anakin gasped when he saw with the eye he'd chosen to wear his lens over saw the wall disappear and reveal another area beyond it, while his other eye still saw what appeared to be an ordinary wall. "So this is how it works…" Link nodded. "Whenever you see something strange, just flip it on quickly to check and see if your suspicions are correct. But…"

"Don't leave it on for too long," Obi-Wan finished, turning his off just then, everyone else following suit. "It does seem to drain a steady amount of energy from its user in order to work… I do hope you brought some of those energy potions you were talking about the other day," he said to Link.

"Healing potions too," he replied, "and I have one empty bottle left for a recovery fairy if we find any."

So they proceeded to walk through the wall and into the next room where a large stone statue of a bird was surrounded by many pillars. Walls that were just like the one they had walked through were placed along the side of the walk-able part of the room, which ended when it dropped off into another deep pit of nothingness. Across the nothingness was the way to move forward.

They each scanned the walls for invisible parts in them, and it didn't take them long to find that one of the walls of skulls and glowing eyes was indeed a fake, and they decided that would be the path to take to see if they could find any clues as to how they could proceed, since while the ledge across the pit was jumpable if they each used the Force to aid them, there was a grate across the door, preventing progress.

"This place is… very strange," Obi-Wan observed. "Why go to such lengths to test initiates?"

Ashei looked back at him briefly before turning back around, taking in the new area of dark, musty hallways, sparse torches, and the sounds of crunching dirt and bones beneath her feet.

"That's because Sheikah, unlike the soldiers of Hyrule, were bound by blood and oath to protect the Royal Family. If they couldn't get out of here alive or sane, then they were not fit to serve and become protectors of the royals or their dead." She said this seriously and methodically, as if she were reciting it from memory, and not a particularly pleasant one.

Obi-Wan nodded slowly, quite taking Ashei at her word.

After a while they stumbled across a wall of skulls with glowing green eyes that was an illusion just like the others before it. The passage behind it led to a single metal door with no windows, thus they were unable to see what lay beyond for all the evil that seeped underneath the door.

Link froze as his hand reached for the doorknob, realizing with a sick feeling in his stomach that what lay beyond was another of those murderous creatures like the one he'd found in the well.

Ashei noticed his hesitation and took his hand. "Whatever it is, we can face it together. Let's do this, okay?" She didn't smile at him, but the certainty and strength in her voice allowed him to lean on it and reach out for the calmness of the Force, letting it flood his senses as it had when he'd first fought this terrifying creature.

All four travelers (plus one guardian fairy) entered the room slowly. Once the last of them – which happened to be Anakin – was through, metal bars shot up again, trapping them there.

"That can't be good," he muttered, until he finally realized what it was he was standing on. He gulped. "Please tell me these aren't real bones… are they?"

Link groaned, seeing the pale hands with their sharp red claws waving about in the air around the small, bone-filled room. "No Anakin," he said solemnly, "I am afraid that they are very real." Ashei blinked, and suddenly she understood that this was the creature Link had described to her the night before, and she couldn't help pressing a hand over her mouth in horror.

"You faced one of _these_ in that well?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Link glanced back at her, frowning slightly at the fear and trepidation that ghosted her words as she spoke. "Yes, I did. You… know what is, don't you?"

Ashei closed her eyes and sighed, now holding the hand she'd used to cover her mouth up against her chest. "Unfortunately yes, I do. They're… they're called Dead Hands. No one really knows what they used to be, if they were anything, before they became… like this. But however they came to exist, what they are now… are killers." Her eyes flickered to the arms reaching up above the piles of bones.

"I take it you don't need any explanation as to… how they kill."

Link grimaced. "No, I don't." He ran his right hand over the inside of his left arm, knowing that there was now a couple of jagged, pale brown scars there where the Dead Hand had torn into him as it had died. Even after it had healed and he'd come back to being an adult, the scars were slightly fainter, but still very much there.

"So how do we kill it?" Obi-Wan asked. "I doubt none of us wants to volunteer to go near any of those hands, even if someone else were to go after the creature once it surfaced…" They had to think about that for a moment.

Ashei thought about the way she'd scared off the spirit that had escaped the well. Trying not to think about where in the temple it had gone, she remembered that it had screeched in pain when it had come into contact with her sword, which had been filled with Light magic at the time.

"I think I have a way," she mumbled slowly, as if still thinking. "Remember how my sword injured the shadow spirit that came out of the well? Well, I was thinking that, if I was able to _injure_ a dark spirit with that much power, then maybe I could kill or perhaps even banish a lesser spirit?" She turned to Link with wide, curious eyes. "Do you think it would work?"

Link glanced at the pale hands and hummed low in his throat.

"It's worth a try," he said slowly. "But I would try to stick your sword in the exact center, so it gets everything in the immediate area and doesn't miss anything as the energy dissipates." Ashei nodded, unsheathing her white blade as she walked.

Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the power of the magic that had answered her call yesterday morning. It smelt of metal and flowers – ozone, she remembered – and tasted of sparks and burnt flesh. Again, the symbol of the Light Medallion, now permanent upon the pommel of her sword, began to glow fiercely, more sparks showering the ground upon which she stood, and as the strain of holding the energy within herself became to great, she gave a sharp cry and slammed the sword straight down into the dirt and bones.

A shockwave of sparks flooded the room, just barely stopping where the edges of their leather boots met the material of their rubber soles. Following that came a shrieking cry that deafened their ears and this huge white blob with a long neck, gruesome face, and two stubby little things that surely must have been its real arms surfaced out of the ground, flopping about like a fish for a moment or two before going still and dead.

Ashe turned to look at it, stunned that she'd called upon the power again (and this time it tired her much less than before despite the fact that she'd used the same amount of power) and that their foolish idea had actually worked.

But their astonishment was short-lived, for a kind of thin, purple mist rose from the fading body of the creature, hissing and puffing gouts of noxious purple fumes. It had a kind of malevolent conscious, which it now managed to turn upon Ashei, and then the spirit lunged for her with the intent to kill.

Now stunned twice over, Ashei couldn't move from where she stood even to scream, but Link dived for her and tackled her to the ground immediately, turning back to look in the direction of the spirit to see what it would do next.

They were all surprised to see a bright ring of light encircle the purple mist, both of which flashed briefly for a moment before disappearing out of sight.

As a chest appeared in the middle of the room, Obi-Wan cleared his throat.

"May I assume that was some of the… temple protections at work?" he asked Ashei as Link was helping her up. She nodded, and then she sheathed her sword when Link handed it to her in order to open up the chest. "Yes," she replied, "though I'd never actually seen them work… I guess that means if we destroy the vessels of any evil spirits here, then the temple protections should take care of them. But…"

"…we should still be careful of the vessels themselves," Link mumbled as he pulled out a map from the chest, and was currently staring at it in earnest.

"Or we'll die here?" Anakin supplied, just for good measure. Obi-Wan glared at him, but Link just smiled as he stuffed the map into one of his belt pockets.

"Yeah, something like that. Now come on, I know how to unlock that door on the other side of the chasm."

So they exited the room (the door had unlocked once the creature had been defeated) and made their way through the dim, damp hallways back into the room with the pillars and the statue with the stone bird sitting on top of it. He pointed at it once they arrived, telling the group that they had to point the beak toward the only pillar that had a skull on it.

"There's an illusion on it I'm sure," he said as he flipped on his Eye of Truth, "and… ah! There it is!" He gestured to a pillar two pillars counter-clockwise from the torch where the beak was currently pointed.

"I'll help you," Anakin offered, and they pushed the beak into its proper place, earning them the sound of metal sliding against stone, unlocking the door.

Obi-Wan frowned at it, but Ashei simply put a hand on his left shoulder, shaking her head at him. "I wouldn't question it, Jedi," she told him, "Hyrule is a strange place, and the Shadow Temple is one of the most strange places you'll ever find. Just take things at face value and try not to think about the things you see too seriously."

Upon seeing the wisdom of her words, he nodded and they jumped across the gap with the rest of the group into a long, dark hallway.

Eventually, they could hear a soft scraping sound ahead of them, and when there was enough light for Link to see by, he held out an arm to stop his companions in their tracks, pointing at the thing ahead of them.

"That's a Beamos statue," he told them with some measure of seriousness, "they shoot laser beams at you if you get to close and they see you. You can run from them a little because they're not very fast, and you can even jump over their beam because they're not terribly bright."

"You can destroy them with bombs, right?" Ashei asked, faintly remembering reading about them. Link grinned. "That's the best part."

And so he tossed a bomb close enough to it where it could see the blue orb and its flashing wick, but since they simply shot anything that moved it readied its laser like usual, fired, and… poof. Pieces of bomb and Beamos scattered everywhere in the smoke, which cleared away quickly.

"Just… stay at a safe enough distance and you should be fine," Link said after they walked into the circular room it had been occupying.

Link pulled out the map again.

"Okay, so it looks like the Compass is… that way," he said, pointing to their right, and… well, nothing really in that direction," he muttered as he pointed to their left. "Except a… small key, I think." He had to squint a little to read it.

Then Link looked up and around as his Eye of Truth flashed, and he noted that though there were three paths, only two of them were illusions.

"The one in front of us must be a bomb-able wall," she pointed out, and proved her point by walking up to it, hitting it, and listening to the hollow metallic sound that followed. "Yeah, we can blow this up." She looked around. "So should we split up and go two to a room or…?"

Link shook his head.

"One or two of us needs to stay here so that the Beamos doesn't respawn. They're… kind of stubborn things. I'll go get the Compass, but someone needs to get the small key while I do that."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Ashei, if you don't mind staying, I think Anakin and I will go get that key. Is that all right?"

Ashei looked a bit hesitant, but she nodded. "Yeah, it's all right."

Anakin and Obi-Wan went off in their appointed direction straight away to fetch the key, but Link lingered a little as he'd noticed the hidden thoughts behind her carefully composed expression.

"Are you all right?" he asked her.

She nodded slowly. "Yes, I think so… there's just some things on my mind that I'm still thinking over…" Link hummed softly, having a feeling it had to do with her newfound ability to wield Light magic, and he too went on his way to fetch the Compass.

Meanwhile, as Ashei waited for them to come back, she cast her thoughts out to wherever they could go in search of answers. She knew now that she could definitely wield Light magic, and the symbol of the Light Medallion was permanently embedded into the pommel of her blade. She thought back to when she first met Link, who told her about Auru being the Sage of Light.

She frowned, another little thought nudging at the edge of her conscious mind, and though she reached for it, the thing stayed maddeningly out of reach. Perhaps the reason why she could wield Light magic was connected to Auru somehow…

Her thoughts were interrupted however when the two Jedi came tumbling out the way they'd come, the cloth around their waists shredded slightly. She blinked at them, perplexed.

"Um… did you… encounter any trouble?"

Anakin coughed, staring down at the tears in his clothing and paling slightly.

"Just a little," Obi-Wan answered her, "Link forgot to mention that there was a moving statue with two large scythes and silver rupees we had to collect." Anakin sighed, giving up on the tears after apparently having tried to repair them with the Force.

"Having Navi around would've helped," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. He stood up straighter a moment later when Link stumbled out of the wall opposite them, looking paler than he was and bleeding a little from his neck while clutching a blue compass ringed in little purple prints of the Shadow Temple's symbol.

The three of them stared for a moment while Link stood there, breathing steadily to keep himself from falling onto his knees from so much shaking.

Ashei walked over to him and helped him put the compass into his hat and she simultaneously pulled one bottle full of red potion and a small cloth before putting the hat back on. Standing close to Ashei helped, because as she applied a small bit of red potion to the cloth and began running it over the bite on his neck, his steady breathing became easier and more natural, until finally even the paleness was gone from his face.

"What was it that you found in there?" she asked him then as she stepped away. He frowned. "I'm not sure. They shrieked just like those ReDead things did, but they had these huge swords and they were wrapped in bandages…"

Ashei's eyes lit up in recognition, and then sympathy.

"Oh… those were Gibdos. They're a lot like ReDeads, but they were actually people once, which is why they can wield swords… sorry you had to experience that." She looked at the spot on his neck where the bite was now healed. "Did… one of them get you?"

Link nodded, not wanting to elaborate. Though he took one glance at Anakin and Obi-Wan and shot them a curious look.

"Giant spinning scythe," Obi-Wan answered, "you forgot to warn us."

Link shook his head. "I would have, but there's nothing written on the map but important locations, small keys, and place names. No personal notes at all except for a few things here and there… this place is meant to test those who enter it, it's not going to give us any hints beyond these bizarre riddles…"

There was a peculiar truth to his words that none of them could argue against, and once Link cleared away the dirt with a carefully placed bomb, they were able to unlock the door behind it and move on through the Temple.

What followed was a long, winding hallway full of huge Skulltulas that came down upon them from invisible hiding spots in the ceiling. Anakin found himself reaching out with the Force more often to test his surroundings, even managing to spot the last one without turning his Eye of Truth on to see the gap overhead.

"It's a good tactic," his Master told him when Obi-Wan had noticed his use of it, "but don't come to rely on it." Link nodded in agreement. "It may also tell you what kind of intelligence the creature you're facing may have, but… sometimes you don't want to know. Sure, knowing that what you're fighting against isn't quite bright helps you dispatch it or avoid it faster, but if you happen across something more clever than you, it makes it all the more difficult." Link shrugged.

"It has something to do with how the mind accesses strength," he finished.

One more step into the next hallway however had Navi shooting up in a scattering of tinkling warning bells, finally landing in a disturbed flutter on the palm of Ashei's left hand.

"What is it?" Link asked her, concerned, "Do you sense something?"

Navi ran her hands through her blue curls to untangle some of them as she nodded, shivering. "There are more of those Wallmaster things up ahead… I suggest moving quickly and not dawdling, or they'll come down from the ceiling and try to eat you…"

Ashei frowned. "Most of them just take you back to the entrance, but since this is the Shadow Temple, I wouldn't be surprised…" She sighed and offered Navi a place on her left shoulder, which the little fairy took gratefully.

"She's right," Obi-Wan added, "We should keep moving and not dawdle."

After all, the swishing sound of large falling blades coming from around the corner meant that they would have to time things very carefully in order to avoid being cleaved in two… which he was unfortunately right about. Several large mechanical guillotines were placed at intervals down the next hall, so they had to run and walk past each of them carefully without drawing the attention of the Wallmasters above.

They almost made it: the last guillotine was taking its sweet time coming down, which made one of the creatures above take notice of them as they passed through, however that had really been its downfall since the guillotine came down with a soft _squish_ rather than a loud _thud_ and _shching_ that made them turn around to see the ends of the Wallmaster's bulbous purple and green fingers oozing neon yellow blood that was also spattered on the metal.

"Ugh," Anakin grimaced, "that's… disgusting. Lucky it was there, though."

Lucky indeed. But there were more of them in the large room following it, and even once they made it past them, there was also a random Fire Bubble waiting to ambush them along with a Stalfos they quickly dispatched.

"There's no end to this, is there?" Obi-Wan muttered as he wiped sweat from his brow, and Ashei frowned as Link took out the map and compass.

"Doesn't seem to be. Too many of the protection spells were disturbed, I think. We'll just have to muscle through it." She looked over at Link. "Find anything?" He glanced over to a doorway off to the side seemingly in the middle of nothing, though Ashei could see platforms leading up to it when she turned on her Eye of Truth.

"There's nothing important that way, so it would be pointless to take that route… hmm." He turned around and glanced in the direction of a Beamos being circled around by two medium sized spike traps, with the ground around it littered with silver rupees.

"That way," he said, "there's a key behind that door."

So they waited for the nearby moving platform that was suspended by four thick iron chains to sink to the bottom of its path, and once it was at the top again they used their height to jump down on the path below it, standing just behind the edge of the Beamos's line of sight.

Carefully, Link took out a bomb from his hat and lit the wick, rolling as one would a bowling ball between the spikes to rest beside the Beamos with a light tap against its pale stone body. Moments later, the thing was blown to bits, and a silver rupee lay in its place. Ashei looked over at Link.

"How did you know that was there?" she asked him.

He grinned at her. "I saw something shiny beneath it and guessed. Besides," he said, gesturing to the area around them, "there were only four silver rupees lying out in the open. I knew one had to be hidden somewhere."

Anakin nodded. "It makes sense. Most of the silver rupee puzzles we've seen so far always have a total of five rupees needed to open the way through."

"How good of you to pay attention," Obi-Wan said to him. Anakin beamed.

"I do have to wonder why there are so many silver rupee puzzles," Anakin continued as they collected them, "in so many different places, too." Ashei shrugged as they handed the pieces to Link so he could open the door.

"It's a common spell from what I know," she said by way of answering, "It's used to lock away rooms and vessels that contain or guard something of value. Most of the newer ones require that the silver rupees been hidden some distance away from the entrance, rather than closer to it and out in the open. The ones we keep coming across must have been put down many years ago."

Once the door was open, they trudged down a long, dark hallway littered with scraps of splintered wood until it opened up into a larger room with huge walls of stone that could be accessed somehow and be walked upon. There were also two giant spike traps stamping the marked path, and an etching of a sunken face at the edge of it. Link stared at it.

"Could there be something nearby that goes here?" He looked up at the larger spike traps. "Something large enough to bear the weight of those traps so we could get by them?"

Something nudged Anakin's consciousness, the Force, he guessed, and he decided to turn on his Eye of Truth and have a look around.

To his utter surprise, a wall to the right of Ashei wasn't really a wall at all, just another one of those illusions hiding a giant stone block of a deep copper color that had handles allowing for pulling and pushing as he'd seen in several others. He cleared he throat and pointed to the illusioned wall.

"There! Behind you, Ashei… there's a block hiding behind an illusion, and you can use it to keep the spike traps from crushing us!"

Link and Ashei turned to look at it, and then once their faces lit up with recognition they began pulling at it together until it was lined up properly with the marked path. Obi-Wan flashed his padawan a smile. "What's with the sudden increase in your attention span? Am I not interesting enough for you?"

Anakin grinned. "You're plenty interesting, Master, I'd just rather be off on mission than sitting around practicing negotiating with you." Obi-Wan gave him a sharp look. "It's necessary of a Jedi, Anakin. Poor negotiator or not, you always need to practice. Still, I applaud you for putting effort into being more observant." Anakin nodded to show his thanks, and they helped Link and Ashei push the stone block down to the middle, and then pull it out on the other side.

They used it to climb up onto the walls, eventually making it to a pressure switch that made the chest with the key appear and afterwards they exited the room, key in hand.

"Oh come on," Ashei muttered, "they really respawn that fast?"

Evidently while they'd been in the room behind them getting the key inside, the Beamos statue that Link had blown up had respawned or put itself back together again somehow or… something. Link sighed.

"Apparently. Just run from it… like I said, they're not very fast or very bright. We need to get over there where those invisible platforms are anyway in order to progress," he said, pointing across what appeared to be a giant black chasm of nothingness, where upon activation of their lenses were two large platforms, the first stationary and floating on the air, and the second moving along a thick silver linked chain.

"Well?" Anakin asked, folding his arms across his chest indignantly, "what are we waiting for?"

Nothing at all really, since the rest of the group was running past the Beamos right then, leaving Anakin to stumble into a run in order to catch up with them in time to jump onto the stationary platform and make the transition to the moving one and finally land on the locked door's platform.

"I really hope there aren't any more silver rupees to collect," Anakin murmured, "These fetch quests are getting kind of old."

Link blinked at the room beyond the door and chuckled softly.

"Spoke too soon, Anakin," he shot back as they walked through. Anakin sighed. "Really? More silver rupees?"

Ashei pointed to a spot on the floor.

"Look. There are invisible spikes there, there, and there." She cleared her throat and Anakin's face paled a little when he realized how close they had been to his feet. "This is supposed to be a training ground as well as a testing area for Sheikah initiates," she repeated airily, "these 'fetch quests' are designed to cement the skills that are taught in order to make each Sheikah that comes out alive as good a protector and warrior as the last."

She sighed and placed her hands on her hips, looking off distantly into nowhere. "That, and since they stopped making Hover Boots, Sheikah have had to rely more on their jumping ability to get over and across obstacles such as these invisible spikes."

Obi-Wan had to admit that though it seemed a bit repetitive to them, it was quite an effective way to teach students to practice their skills.

Meanwhile, as they'd been talking, Link had been slowly picking off all of the Keese hanging around the walls with the Fairy Bow and Navi had been collecting all of the silver rupees strewn about the room. Once Navi had brought them all to him, he looked up at the door above them on the raised platform and noticed it was locked, so the only other door available was where they needed to go.

"All right, let's keep moving," he said to get their attention, "the next key we need is in this room to our left."

They stared at him, wondering when he'd collected the rupees, but they followed him anyway into the next room. Inside was a large skull with a circle cut into its head to allow room for the heat of the bright blue fire inside to escape safely. Flaming Keese hung about the edges of the room above the giant stone staircases that rose up and around the skull, hovering above a small patch of bomb flowers.

Ashei walked up to the skull and peered into it between its large, graying teeth. She blinked, noticing something silver and shiny at the inner base of the giant skull.

"Hey," she said slowly, waving her traveling companions over to her, "I think I've found the key."

"So we just have to blow it up?" Obi-Wan mused.

Link sighed. "I'll climb up there if you'll pick off the Keese for me, Ashei. I hate Fire Keese," he grumbled. Ashei turned, grinning at him. "Sure, will do."

So she picked off the Keese for him as he climbed, missing only once because one actually had the sense to look up before flying right into it. Eventually Link made it to the top and opted to pluck one of the Bomb Flowers instead of using one of his own, chucking it into the blue fire inside the skull. Everyone backed up so none of them would get hit by the blast or its shrapnel, and after a few tense moments the skull finally blew to pieces that scattered across the floor, leaving only a silver key and bits of shattered bone behind.

Link pocketed the key and they went back into the room with the invisible spikes to jump up to the next locked door on the raised platform, stepping through it into another dark hallway.

"You've got to give them points for consistency," Anakin muttered, which actually made them laugh a little despite the pressing darkness.

Rounding the next corner though, there came a huge blast of wind that pinned them to the door, and the four of them (plus Navi) rode it out until it stopped. Ashei blinked at the giant wind fan at the end of the hall, past the two slow moving spike traps, and then she sighed.

"We might actually want to turn on out Iron Bracelets for this one," she told them, her voice low. "Because those fans are awfully powerful with the amount of wind that they generate."

The others seemed to agree, and so they navigated through the wind tunnel's spike traps, dark pits of nothingness and other assorted monsters until they got to a drop that revealed a larger and wider hallway with more fans on either side. Link pulled out the map to see what it said, and he frowned when he saw a hallway perpendicular to the one before them up ahead. He looked up with his Eye of Truth activated, and then he made a little, "Ah!" sound of affirmation in the back of his throat before putting the map away.

"Ignore the door at the end, there's nothing there, but if you'll follow me…"

He trailed off as he ran to a certain spot in the room while the fans weren't blowing, waiting there until the fans started up again and was thrown straight off the platform… _into_ the wall. He stuck his head out sometime afterwards and waved to the three of them.

"There's a hidden hallway here that's where we really need to go. Now come on!"

Ashei frowned slightly and tilted her head as he disappeared.

"It is just me or does that look really strange without the Eye of Truth activated?" she asked to no one in particular. Obi-Wan answered for her. "Just a little bit, yes." But they followed him anyway.

Link stilled when he saw the two Gibdos standing in the middle at either side of the room they'd just entered. He frowned, his right hand reflexively reaching up to brush against the spot on his neck where he'd been bitten.

"Ooh," Anakin hissed when he saw the Gibdos, "So that's what they look like. And those swords look pretty nasty…"

Ashei folded her arms and stared at the Gibdos while she thought.

"I wonder… if we could immobilize them somehow…" She looked at Obi-Wan as her thoughts began to coalesce into a cohesive thought. "Your lightsabers could cut through them with no problem, right?" He nodded. "Definitely. What, do you have an idea Ashei?"

She turned back to stare intently at the Gibdos. "I think so…"

Slowly, she drew her sword and focused on the power of the Light magic, calling it to her. Ashei was careful this time, and made sure to give it explicit instructions to not give her too much and to stay in the blade until she said it could leave. She took aim as she would a bow, the tip of the white sword pointed at the one on the far left.

She thrust forward, commanding half of the power in the sword to shoot forward until it reached its target. Then she swung the sword around to the other one on the far right, and shot again, letting the rest of the energy go. Giving it explicit instructions had helped, but she was still a little drained and slightly dizzy because of it. She struck the ground with her sword and leaned on it, asking for a drink from one of the green potions from Link, who gladly gave it to her. Ashei turned to Obi-Wan and Anakin, who were watching the sparking Gibdos with great interest.

"Don't just stand there, go kill them… and do it quickly," she breathed as she took a swig of the green potion, handing it back to Link. "I don't know how long it will last for…"

The two Jedi obeyed, avoiding the spike traps and drawing their lightsabers. As promised, the Gibdos did not move, but rather seemed to moan louder and more frequent as the two men approached, but this did not help them escape their fate, as they were quickly cut in half.

Ashei turned to smile at Link. "Feel better?" He blinked at her, stunned.

"Ah… yes. Thanks… I, I guess."

Ashei giggled softly and then turned to the middle of the room where a chest was appearing. "Ah, and there's our next key. Good thing we dispatched them, huh?" Link nodded, and he quickly picked up the key and strode across the other half of the room to the next locked door.

"What? A… ship?" Obi-Wan murmured, confused.

"Hmm." Ashei hummed a sound in the back of her throat as she studied the thing before them, floating upon a river of thick grey mist that almost looked like water. She noticed Obi-Wan staring at it with a peculiar intensity, as though he wanted to touch it.

"I wouldn't do that," she told him harshly. He looked up sharply.

"Do what?" He asked her. Ashei turned to study the strange water again.

"The water. It… it's not… actually water, I think. It's… it's a river made up of the souls of the dead. Or… their energy, rather. When we die, most of our energy comes to this place to be purified and put back into the earth and the water, and the air. It's why so many of us can practice the arts that we call magic so easily, whereas in other places there aren't as many…"

She shook her head. "But, I was going to say that you shouldn't touch it because it's not something we of the living _should_ touch. It's… sacrilegious, almost. Something akin to one of the Jedi using the Dark Side of the Force."

Obi-Wan nodded in understanding.

Meanwhile, Link and Anakin had been dragging out a large block on the path past Obi-Wan and Ashei. Finally, after a soft, reverberating _boom_, the block slid into a small niche in the floor that was about its size and would allow them to gain access to the large boat in the water.

Upon hearing the block slide into place, Ashei and Obi-Wan turned to Link and Anakin.

"Oh!" Ashei exclaimed softly, "You found a way up!"

Link grinned. "Yeah, now we can keep going, since that way," he pointed to where they'd found the block, "just leads back to the beginning." He turned to look at the boat with some measure of intense study.

"I get the feeling that we need to get down this river somehow, and that boat's the only way to do it." He said this carefully, choosing his words carefully.

Ashei turned back to the boat.

"I think so too. This boat is here for those who need to get to the final area of the temple where the last part of the trial waits…"

So they climbed up onto the boat, Link tapping his foot on the Triforce symbol in the middle on the flat part of the boat. "Looks like I need to play the royal family's song in order to start it…" Ashei nodded as he fished out his Ocarina to play it.

"All Sheikah were taught to play the song to signify that they were loyal to the Royal Family. If they couldn't play it anymore then that meant that they'd turned traitor and would eventually be executed." Anakin winced. "For not playing a song? That's kind of harsh." Ashei shrugged. "The song has some energy signature tied to it that is able to tell if you're loyal or not. So, if you couldn't play it, then you weren't fit to serve the Royal Family."

Anakin was about to grumble again, but the sound of Link's playing began to sound through the corridor and all fell silent. Once he was finished, the bells near the prow of the ship began to swing and sound, and the boat began to lurch forward in an odd bobbing motion.

Obi-Wan paled. "Ugh… great. So it behaves just like an actual ship. Wonderful." Anakin grinned at his master. "Having trouble?" Obi-Wan glared. "Padawan, you be quiet…"

His coming threat was lost however, as there was a great rattling of bones from the ceiling, and two slightly larger than normal Stalfos rained down onto the deck, forcing the four of them to pair up and fight them. Link and Ashei automatically descended on the one closest to the prow, leaving the remaining one for Anakin and Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan did have to admit that Anakin's lightsaber skills were getting better, and he wasn't making as many mistakes as he used to before they'd started.

He made a note to himself to compliment his padawan later.

In the meantime, Link and Ashei had just dispatched the other Stalfos when they both saw the mist clear away from the ship to reveal a large room to their left and a very _solid_ wall right in front of them. The two warriors paled, and they whirled around to warn the two Jedi who were almost finished with the other Stalfos.

"Get rid of it!" Ashei yelled, "The ship is about to crash!"

Link followed her up with, "We need to get off the ship! Get onto the platform next to us!" Obi-Wan finally noticed the wall just as the Stalfos was disintegrating into a pile of blue and silver flames. He quickly grabbed the end of Anakin's collar and dragged him over to jump off the side of the ship along with Link and Ashei. They tumbled to the ground, dust and dirt flying, just as the ship made a very violent crash into the wall of stone in front of it.

"Well," Anakin coughed once he'd collected himself, "we're not going back that way." Link chuckled. "Yeah, guess not." He looked around, as though searching for something, when he spotted a door at the end of the long stone platform that they had landed on.

"I'll be right back!" he shouted, and he ran off towards it, disappearing before any of them could lift a finger.

"He's got to stop doing that," Ashei muttered, "or he's going to get himself killed." Obi-Wan chuckled. "I keep telling Anakin that, but he never listens." Anakin looked sharply at Obi-Wan, his expression almost hurt. "Hey! I do too!" Ashei grinned at him.

"Exactly," she said in short reply, which thoroughly confused Anakin and made her and Obi-Wan laugh.

Before Link arrived back with the Boss Key in hand, Obi-Wan had turned to Ashei, remembering something she'd said about magic before they'd boarded the ship.

"Ashei," he began seriously, "you said something about… 'the arts we call magic…' what did you mean by that?" She blinked at him, slightly taken aback by the question. "Huh? Oh… that?" She frowned, folding her arms and then lifting one hand to stroke her chin.

"Well, when I was still living in that underground complex with Auru as my teacher, he first taught me about magic. But, after I was about ten or so, he began teaching me about the Force. I don't remember how he explained it, but I got the feeling he thought that magic and the Force were two different things." She frowned even more, her dark eyebrows furrowing until they were almost touching one another.

"I don't think so, though…" she said slowly. "They have… two distinct natures, yes… but they're both just energy in the end. That's really the only difference between the two." She shook her head. "I… I can't really explain it better than that, except to say that perhaps what we call magic is just a simpler and safer way to achieve the powers of the Dark Side without any of the spiritual infection and warping of the mind." She shook her head and sighed.

"But… that's not right either…"

Obi-Wan waved the comment away. "That's all right, thank you for trying."

She smiled at him sheepishly. "Sorry I couldn't be of anymore help."

It was then that Link came out of the door to show them the Boss Key before pocketing it as he walked up to them, glancing back. He cleared his throat. "Ashei? Do you know… why they might have a room with two spiked walls that steadily approach you in order to crush you between them?" She frowned at him. "Probably a last ditch attempt to scare the initiates who can't keep their heads in a crisis into finally dying off…"

"Still wrong," Anakin muttered loudly.

Link ignored him, humming a low sound of affirmation in the back of his throat. "That would explain the bones, then…"

"What?" "Nothing."

Ashei shook her head. There was only so much strange stuff one could brush off about the place. She looked across the second gray river of souls and wondered aloud exactly how they were supposed to get across. Link pointed towards a patch of Bomb Flowers on the other side.

"Hit those for me, Ashei?" he asked her sweetly, "So that once they explode the statue will come down and we'll be able to walk across?"

She let one eyebrow rise skeptically in his direction.

"If I lose an arrow…" He waved a hand at her. "Nonsense. Just do it."

She shrugged, and pulled her bow from her back and notching an arrow to it a moment later. With an effortless form that had come from so many years of practice, she pressed the tips of the feathers to her lips, breathed out once, and then let go of the arrow.

It shot across the gap and found its mark with a clear and straight path. The bomb flowers blew up in quick succession, and they exploded with such force that the statue behind it cracked all the way through, falling forward towards to abyss. Something stopped it from falling all the way through however, ears or… horns of some kind, she guessed. Either way, it had firmly lodged itself in the dirt and now formed a solid path across the river.

Ashei blinked. "How did you know it would do that?"

Link jerked his head to a pair of ears or… horns that were stuck in the dirt some ways down, though it was missing much of the other statue. Casting her gaze to where it stood, she saw another patch of bomb flowers growing around the chunk of stone that was all that remained of the other statue.

"That's how I knew. But, come quickly now, I don't know how long this will hold before it breaks off into the river."

They took him at his word and crossed quickly.

Near the entrance to the final small door, there was a small pot that glowed a soft rosy pink. Link broke it to free the fairy inside, and he asked it politely if it would like to come along with them and offer its assistance if any of them were hurt. The pink fairy nodded, and Link noted with some curiosity that this pink fairy wasn't female. He shrugged, putting the thought out of his mind as he stood to face the final door with his companions.

"Almost there," he said to them, holding up the last small key that he'd found when he'd gone off on his own, "let's go."

The four of them stepped out into what appeared to be… nothing.

Upon hearing the door close behind him, Link turned on his Eye of Truth and sighed with relief.

"Okay, thank goodness. There's… platforms." He frowned at them. "Really… tiny ones." Ashei sighed as she turned her lens on too. "Wonderful," she said dryly, which made it quite clear what she thought of the obstacle. Her mind had since drifted back to the things she'd been thinking about when she'd waited in the room with the Beamos statue, and had thus put her into a strange mood. That one thought kept teasing the edges her mind and irritating her, but a soft brushing on her shoulder brought her out of it.

"Ashei?" It was Link's voice, and there was a tension to it that made her realize he was worried about her. "Are you all right?"

She blinked, realizing that those thoughts hadn't been caused by her own mind. Rubbing her arms and shaking her head as though flinging water from her person, she quickly dug into the center of herself and calmed down with a slow release of breath.

"Yeah," she said afterwards, "this darkness is getting to me, I think."

Obi-Wan and Anakin nodded. "It's been eating at us too," said Obi-Wan, and, "Putting thoughts in our heads that we wouldn't normally focus on."

"Ah," said Ashei quietly, "so it isn't just me." She eyed Link worriedly.

"Are _you_ all right?" she asked him, and was relieved when he nodded. "Mostly," he answered her. "I'm certain it'll stop once we defeat whatever's lying on the other side of that door." He tilted his head in the direction of the golden-chained door that they stood next to. "Though… it doesn't bode well that Sheik said Impa went into the temple to seal away that spirit again… and we haven't seen any sign of her."

Ashei frowned. "Let's get in there so we can get this over with," she hissed.

Link couldn't disagree. He pressed the key into the lock and watched the chains fall away with a dull _thump_! It rose before them slowly, eventually granting them access to a tiny, circular room with another circle at its center. The door closed behind them with a final _thud_ and then it locked, and they realized they were trapped.

"Only one way out," murmured Obi-Wan as he stared into the inky blackness of the hole. Ashei grunted. "Technically there are two, but only one of them is the one we want." Anakin chuckled grimly. "Well put, Ashei."

Then, without further ado, they each jumped down the hole into the darkness.

Down, down they fell, the wind rushing past them in the nothingness. Ashei had always thought that the darkness would be cold, but it was sickeningly warm and smelt of rotting meat and fruits. Eventually a light began to reach them, but it glowed in colors of pale yellow, purple, and green, until eventually they grew brighter and the four companions realized that they were about to fall onto a platform of some kind, and they each braced for impact.

It wasn't what they expected though…

Each of them tumbled away the others, rolling and bouncing in various directions. Ashei recovered first, rolling to a stop on her side just inches away from a pool of oozing purple slime and then scrambling to her hands and knees while she waited for the ground to stop moving.

She watched dizzily as the others did the same, though Link was farthest away from her than either of the Jedi, which bothered her immensely. She shoved the feelings down though; they didn't belong here on the battlefield.

"What are we on?" someone shouted. It sounded like Anakin.

"I can't tell for sure," – this one was Obi-Wan – "but I think this is…!"

All sound drained away except for a deafening, steady booming sound. Ashei could see two enormous hands filled to the brim with black magic, the skin on each covered in various shades of purple and green and pulsing with all sorts of disgusting nastiness. Large palms beat on the surface of the ground they lay on, and each of them was almost rocked off their hands and knees again.

"It's a drum!" shouted someone else, and this time she could see that it was Link, who had finally made to stand. Realizing that it was going to be difficult to stay standing anyway, Ashei scrambled to her feet as well, and she could see the two Jedi doing the same.

"What… what is that?" Anakin asked, a quiver in his voice she hadn't ever heard from him before.

"I…" she coughed, for somehow her throat had gone dry and she shook with more than just the reverberations of the drum. "I think this is the Spirit of the Well!" She pointed to where its grotesque, misshapen body and stubby arms floating just behind its disconnected hands, and also to the spot where once there might have been a head was now a neck with disgusting, dried flaps of skin peeled back from the neck's flesh and bone (almost like a twisted sort of flower) and a giant, unblinking eye. Its glowing yellow iris was full of rage and mindless killing, streaming into rivulets of bloody veins along the orange film that might have been its whites.

"Positions!"

Ashei didn't bother trying to figure out who said it, she simply reacted, turning on her Eye of Truth as the body disappeared.

"Turn on your lenses!" she yelled, and then the nearest hand made a swipe for her attempting to grab her, but she managed a rolling dive just in time, getting up shakily on her feet. "And watch for those hands…" she hadn't the heart or the air in her lungs to shout that bit, but somehow everyone seemed to hear.

On impulse, Link drew his bow, drawing the calmness of the Force to him in order to pinpoint where the eye was. He frowned, realizing that it had closed itself, but he turned his attention to the next best thing: the hands.

"Ashei!" he cried as he let loose an arrow, which lodged itself straight into the center palm of the nearest hand. It glowed and pulsed blue as it shook, strange gurgling sounds and shrieks bouncing around the walls as it cried out in pain. "Shoot the other hand!" But Ashei was already on it, letting go of an arrow that appeared to be trailing a stream of light right into the palm of the other hand. Finally the creature seemed to be in enough pain to open its eye and Link shouted at Anakin and Obi-Wan who had already drawn their blades.

"Hit the eye! Burn the center of the iris!"

They didn't need to be told twice as they charged it, both Link and Ashei hitting the eye with arrows so that the beast skidded to a halt on the drum before them. Purple-black blood smeared the taut fabric and hissed with smoke visibly rising from it for whatever reason, but the two Jedi paid no mind to it and they continued to slash their lightsabers until finally the beast reacted and a large hand shoved them away with such force that it knocked Obi-Wan off the platform and Anakin into one of the tough wooden stakes nearby, black and white spots dancing in front of his vision.

Obi-Wan let out a blood-curdling scream as the purple ooze sizzled against his skin. Despite being quite unable to see much even with the Eye of Truth on, Anakin made a mad scramble for his master while using only the Force to guide him. He quickly pulled Obi-Wan over the side of the drum, but he could do nothing to help heal him. Letting out an uncharacteristic whimper, he bent over Obi-Wan in a feeble attempt to shield him from the chaos around him, now realizing that his wound from before was bleeding again and his head was throbbing terribly.

Link and Ashei had quickly figured out that their Jedi companions wouldn't be able to fight anytime soon, so they continued to distract the dark spirit to keep its attention off of the more vulnerable members of their party in order to prevent it from eating them or shredding them to pieces with its hands, both of which had transformed into the long, jagged claws Ashei had seen before when it rushed them in Kakariko.

Once, twice more did they repeat the process, but apparently their blades could only do so much damage. The shadow beast was roaring now, and Ashei was sure she wouldn't be able to hear much of anything else for a very long while.

They were at it a third time when Link finally managed to embed another arrow into the hand he was closest to. Ashei readied her own and realized with an airy flutter of her already thundering heart that the projectile was laced with Light magic. When had she started doing that?

It roared again as the arrow hit its mark, and something changed then. Its eye focused on her as it flashed an even brighter red, and it reached for her with both hands. Frozen, she couldn't move even to collapse on the drum like a doll, for she realized that she'd been using Light magic for the entire fight, and her energy was gone. The huge, beefy fingers wrapped around and around, slicing her skin to pieces as it lifted her into the air and squeezed.

Link's heart stopped. He was sure it had. For nothing, not even Ashei's piercing, gut-wrenching wail that echoed even in the deepest parts of the temple, was able break through the silence that had come over him.

He didn't stop to think about what happened next, for all he simply did was drop his bow, unsheathe the Master Sword, and then fling all the energy he possibly could through it at the shadow beast's bleeding, weeping eye. Magic, Force, whatever, it all rushed through him without a single thought. A blinding white arc of lightning burst forth from the blade like an avenging angel, striking the shadow beast dead in the center of its being. Light filled it, and as soon as the last of it left the sword, Link fell onto the drum, stomach down, face up, his entire body weak and numb from the use of such power.

Ashei dropped like a stone to the ground bouncing and rolling (mercifully) in the direction of Link. He crawled over to her slowly, since he had discovered that he was beginning to regain feeling in his arms, and he was amazed to find that she was still partially conscious. She'd stopped rolling towards him on her back, and she twitched a little when Link's fingers brushed the lacerations on her left arm. He smiled weakly at her, but then something in front of him caught his attention and she turned her head to see.

It was the creature, flailing wildly as its hands beat whatever they could find: drum, walls, air, until they slowed their frantic frenzy and became completely and utterly still. The beast fell into the drum, fizzing out with thousands of tiny black flames sparkling in the air, disappearing into nothing.

Once it was gone, a wave of healing magic swept through the chamber, and Ashei released a sigh of relief as her cuts healed themselves, and across from them, Anakin's head injury healed itself too, his sight clearing so that he could see that most of Obi-Wan's burns had reduced themselves to almost nothing.

Link and Ashei were still horribly weak though, and once again Ashei had to reach for Link's hat to pull out a bottle, this one containing green potion. She downed half of it, and once it took effect she was able to pull Link's body to her and help him drink the rest. He sat up slowly, eventually taking the empty and his hat back from her as they helped each other up. Anakin and Obi-Wan had done the same eventually and they gathered in a tight circle in case any of them decided to collapse or their feet decided to stop working.

Anakin glanced worriedly at Obi-Wan.

"You think you can make it back? Those burns…"

Obi-Wan waved him away. "I thank you for your concern, Padawan, but I'll be fine." He did not admit that standing on his own might have been slightly difficult without Anakin there, but he might divulge the information later once they got some food and rest.

Something off to the side caught their attention: a bright circle of blue light.

"The exit!" Anakin sighed, grinning goofily. Link glanced at him, wondering if he'd been hit on the head one too many times and that his mood swings were caused by some sort of bizarre brain damage… but of course it was probably just fatigue. Even being healed and restored by magic and potions, he felt more than a little off kilter, and much desired a long interrupted nap with not much else until dinner.

Beside him, Ashei cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "Come on," she said softly, "Let's go and get some rest…"

Link nodded as fervently as his slow burning headache would allow.

"I vote for passing out the moment we reach Impa's house," he deadpanned, particularly serious. Obi-Wan grumbled in agreement. "I'll second that. Now let's stop talking about it and get moving!"

And so each of them took one step into the ring of blue light, and they were whisked away from the Shadow Temple and all of its horrors.

.oOo.

Once again the four of them were slowly set down onto the triangular platform in the center of the Sacred Realm, each of the six pedestals set around them with the purple one of the Shadow Temple placed before them.

In the slight moment before the sage was to appear, Ashei stole a glance at the yellow platform slightly off to her right just beside the Shadow Temple's pedestal. She glanced down at her sword, seeing the same mark upon it as was on the Sage of Light's pedestal, fully and deeply engraved in the white steel. Her lips pulled at the corners into a faint expression of frustration.

What did it all mean?

However the appearance of the Sage of Shadow drew her away from her deepest thoughts and brought her attention back to where the others watched in dreadful anticipation.

Sure enough, it was Impa who appeared before them.

The once proud leader of Kakariko offered them a grim smile as she looked upon them with a heart full of deep love and sorrow.

"So," Impa began in a low voice laced with a multitude of unnamed emotions, "you made it through the Shadow Temple and banished the evil Spirit of the Well." She chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "Something I couldn't do, I'm afraid… ah, it seems that I've failed my Princess as her attendant."

Ashei frowned, shaking her head. "That isn't so! Auru told me you were one of the best!" Impa glanced in Ashei's direction. "Did he? Hmm. That man… he always did have a way with words."

She sighed wistfully, an uncharacteristic look coming over her as she did so.

But the moment passed.

"So perhaps I haven't failed her, then." Impa straightened out and gave Link a pointed look. "For I've kept her alive all this time, after all. And, she _is_ alive, Link… I just can't tell you where and let me tell you why so that you will understand." She paused to clear her throat once and then began to tell them.

"On that day seven years ago, Ganondorf attacked the king and the castle under the false pretense of securing a treaty of peace between the Hylian and Gerudo peoples. The attacks came suddenly, but the battle lasted long after the initial bloodshed and eventually Hyrule Castle was lost to the Desert King. Ganondorf's aim was not the castle however, but rather one of the keys to the Sacred Realm… the Ocarina of Time!"

Link made a small sound of surprise in the back of his throat, but otherwise he seemed to be unaffected by the story.

"As High Priest," Impa continued, "it was Auru's job to secure the Ocarina for me and the Princess, and send an emergency beacon through the subspace data tower. _I_ was duty bound to keep the Princess safe and hide her."

Link nodded to show that he understood.

"So you can't tell where she is in order to keep her safe?"

Impa smiled, and it was just barely able to reach her eyes. "Yes, that is why. But she is alive, as I've said, and soon you will meet her face to face." She chuckled again, and this one was the same as the first: dry and without humor.

"Oh, she wanted so much to avoid all this… but we underestimated what fools we all were and how stubborn the Desert King was in his desire to recreate the events of the past. I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive her for forcing all of this upon you. But we still need one more of us here before you can use our power and hers to slay the Evil King and return peace to Hyrule."

Impa closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

"Do this quickly, for I fear his eyes will soon turn upon other worlds, and eventually other planets. And… as much as I would like to go with you, I no longer have the ability to do so." She shrugged sheepishly. "It wasn't the way I expected to die, but perhaps no other death could have been so fitting."

She laughed softly, and this one was filled with traces of real and honest amusement.

"Ashei?" she said quietly, "Be a dear and ask Anju when you see her next to take you to my private library. There will be a desk inside, and on it will be two things that I need you to have a look at. One is a book with instructions on repairing the protection spells of the Temple and the other is a holo-disk that someone asked I give to you. I would suggest watching it alone before you show it to anyone else. Do you understand?"

Stunned speechless, it was all Ashei could do to nod her confirmation.

Impa nodded shortly to herself, and then glanced behind Link at the two Jedi. "You've done well to help these two. I hope you continue to do so, as I am certain you will need all of your skills to pass these final hurdles."

Then at last she turned to Link.

"Let us waste no more time. I have put everything that I am into this, my heart, my soul, and my power. Go the Princess's side and protect her as I did, and this Medallion shall help you fulfill that task."

Immediately Link reached out for the power that was massing between the two of them, and after some time a purple disk bearing the symbol of the Shadow Temple spun in the air above his hands. It spun faster, and faster until there was nothing left of it, and then Link could feel the power merging with his own, creeping slowly and filling all gaps with its strength and perseverance.

Suddenly, Link no longer feared the dark. This did not mean that power of the Shadow Medallion had taken away his fear (for it was still very much there), but he knew that no longer _needed_ to fear it, now that he knew the dangers that laid in wait for him there, and he was prepared for them.

Once the transition was complete, she flashed him that sad smile again, and the world began to fade to white.

_Please look out for the Princess…_ came Impa's voice from the edges of time.

And he assured her that he would.

* * *

><p>Ah… finally. This is done. Guu… (collapses) It had to be this long otherwise it would've been in two parts, and there's really no good spot to do that and break it evenly...<p>

In all honesty, the Shadow Temple is really not a very interesting place to write about, despite all the material it has to offer. I had to skip a few rooms because they're virtually useless when trying to write something like this, so it takes forever to figure out how to write it without making it sound like 'and so they went here and then here and back out here again…' (this still happened a couple of times I think, but I hope I kept that to a minimum)

I also took a few tiny liberties with keys and such, but unless you watch a walkthrough on Youtube while reading this, you wouldn't know what they are, really.

So… what's on that holo-disk, I wonder? Well, this is the last chapter that I planned to write before I went back to my tumblr and deviantART, so it will be sometime before I come back here again, so you'll have some time to wait before you can find out. (Sorry! ^.^;) But as I said after I finished the Water Temple, I will come back. Pinky swear. :D

Much love to you all,

- Hikari no Vikki


	23. Interlude: Revelations

Chapter Twenty-Three:Interlude - Revelations

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><p>Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force<p>

Chapter: 23

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: If I owned Zelda, they'd be making a Majora's Mask or Link to the Past remake instead of the sequel. Not that I don't appreciate it, but… yeah. Don't own Star Wars either. That's part of the Disney Empire now…

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

Moving into the Desert now… how shall our adventurers handle the Gerudo?

* * *

><p>"Here's the Lady Impa's private library, Lady Ashei," Anju said softly as the large oak door creaked at the hinges. The red-haired woman frowned at the squeaky metal, muttering something about finding the oil to fix it.<p>

Ashei, however, hadn't heard a thing. She was staring at the desk against the wall on her left, a fairly simple thing in terms of its construction – she hadn't expected anything of Impa's to be at all ornate. But it had a mystical quality to it because of the faint mixture of Hylian and Sheikah markings along the bulk of its sides and this characteristic was what had kept her attention for so long.

Realizing that she had been neglecting Anju after the older woman had opened the door, Ashei quickly turned to apologize.

Anju just waved her worries away with a hand as she flashed Ashei a smile.

"No worries, miss," she said softly, a sad look hanging around the edge of her eyes. "After all, I do suppose that the library is mine now, since the Lady Impa's not likely to come back…" As Anju spoke, her cherry disposition had gradually altered to something more wistful and somber. "Isn't she?"

Ashei nodded slowly. "I'm afraid that's so. But that also leaves you in charge of the village, Miss Anju," she pointed out firmly, raising a single dark eyebrow.

"W-What?" Anju spluttered, "Me? I can't lead a village, especially not one so big as this!"

Ashei shook her head.

"Nonsense. I believe Impa was grooming you the whole time, since… she likely knew that she wouldn't be coming back from the Temple. After all, look at what you can do: you're good with people, you know how to organize them in a pinch and when to tell them off if they're not doing what's supposed to be done. And you like doing these things, don't you?"

Anju blinked, and paused a moment to think these things over. After a few moments, she realized that Ashei wasn't wrong at all – in fact she was quite right even in saying that she liked what she did.

"Perhaps," Anju said slowly, "when you put it like that, maybe you're right."

Ashei nodded in reply. "Most of the people don't need a leader right now, but eventually they're going to notice Impa's absence, and they'll look to you when that time comes. You have until then to get used to the idea, so just keep doing what you've been doing until then. Maybe, if you really want to do something about it, you should find out what projects are going on around town and ask what you can do to help. It can't be that hard, can it?"

Anju chuckled softly. "No, probably not. I think… I think I'll do that."

She was just about to turn back around when Ashei stopped her again.

"And… find yourself a reliable man, Anju." Ashei paused, and then chuckled a bit. "Or a woman, if you prefer. You're a fine, strong woman, but… how long _has_ it been since your brother died?"

Anju hummed quietly as she cast her thoughts back. "Five years, I think."

While Lady Ashei's suggestion made her cheeks burn hotter than Death Mountain Crater, deep down inside Anju liked the idea of having a properly sensible partner to spend the rest of her life with. She smiled at the thought and nodded in Ashei's direction.

"I might just do that one day…" she trailed off, a grin hinting at the edges of her lips. "Provided you keep your own commitments with that young man of yours."

And with that she sashayed away, leaving Ashei to stare after her, cheeks slightly flushed. She sighed after a few moments before turning inward towards the study. Though technically it now belonged to Anju, the study still felt very much like _Impa_. There was a practicality to the personal touches that could be seen if one looked close enough.

In the study, there were no windows, but if she flipped the switch next to the door then the lights on the ceiling would glow a soft amber yellow, though Ashei kept them off since the smaller lamps placed strategically around the room were more than enough to see by.

She walked over to the desk where a book and a holo-disk trapped in a clear plastic case sat as Impa had promised her, and she wondered precisely what each would contain. The holo-disk in particular was something of great interest to her, and she glanced back at the door guiltily. She had every right to close it, and Impa had instructed her specifically to watch the holo-disk before she shared it with anyone else.

Finally, she gave in. She closed the door, electing not to lock it in case someone needed her, and she searched for one of the devices that would play the disk in hand.

Now, Impa was not Shad Dampé.

She did in fact have a much better system than he did for displaying holo-disks, which consisted of a squat, square wireless device similar to an external hardrive on a table near the far wall opposite the entrance to the study, only this device had a chip implanted inside that broadcasted the contents of the holo-disk to a holographic display on the ceiling that played the three-dimensional images in the space available. Also below the slot where the disk was to be inserted were the standard buttons to play, rewind, and such.

Ashei turned off all of the lights except the one on the desk against the wall, which she dimmed, and she picked up the wireless device on the table so that she could find the slot for the holo-disk. Once the disk was finally inside the device, she placed the device back on the table, found the sturdy wooden chair next to it, and sat down.

Once the projection came into view, she was immediately glad that she had done so, because what the disk showed her wasn't what she had been expecting. She'd thought she'd get Impa, or even Princess Zelda perhaps.

But what the disk showed her instead… was Auru.

In this recording he was as she remembered him from her youth, tall and muscular, short dark hair falling in layers as it tapered near his shoulders. His eyes were a bright, familiar gray and below his leather jerkin emblazoned with the symbol of the Triforce, he wore an orange tunic above loose khaki leggings tucked into a pair of sturdy black leather boots.

But his expression was something that she _wasn't_ entirely familiar with.

The hologram looked at her with such fondness and deep affection that she had to blink twice to see if it was really Auru. Was this recording truly meant for her, or had Impa left the wrong disk?

"My darling Ashei," he whispered tenderly, gesturing in her direction, "I would like to start this off by saying how truly sorry I am that I was unable to tell you this in person." He offered her an apologetic smile that, while at home on his features, seemed so strange to Ashei since he'd never behaved like this around her before. Perhaps she should've gone back to Shad's hut after all and used his archaic machine instead…

Maybe then she wouldn't feel so vulnerable under the gaze of the hologram.

"There is so much I wish I could tell you, but first… I should tell you something that I probably should've told you a long time ago." The light in his eyes dimmed and his expression hardened into a deep regret.

"I am your father, Ashei."

She sat up, all of the air in her lungs falling out of her in a rush. She couldn't believe it, and yet he was talking still, forcing her mind to pay attention as she eventually tried to breath in short, bursting gasps.

"Your mother and I should've told you a long time ago, but we thought that it was the best thing for you at the time." The strange smile returned to his face again, this time accompanied by sadness instead of regret. "I wish so very dearly that we could have had more time together, but if you're watching this, then know that I no longer have the ability or the capacity to exist in this world. It's likely that your mother is the same, since I intend to give this to her for safekeeping before Daphnes receives the Desert King tomorrow in the hopes of brokering a peace treaty, and she will only leave this to you if she is dead as well."

Ashei's right hand reached behind her and clasped the table for support. Her left hand had grasped the edge of the chair she sat on, the knuckles likely white even in the dimness of the room. Was he saying… what she thought he was saying? Her mother was…?

"Just so," he said again in a whisper, "I got to see you grow up …"

He chuckled, and the hologram walked a few paces closer to where she sat. He gazed at her again with such fondness and deep affection that Ashei felt her heart twinge in an onslaught of multiple emotions. "If you would," he pleaded gently, "please stand. I want you to look into my eyes as I say these last few things. I understand that even an entire lifetime cannot undo what I have done, but I want you to know that in this, I am sincere."

Despite knowing that this was a hologram, Ashei's feet obeyed his commands, and she shuffled forward until there was almost no space between them.

"My darling," said Auru's hologram, "I love you. My sweet little girl."

He reached up and Ashei jumped when the hand of the hologram brushed the left side of her face. It was likely that he'd filmed this using a mannequin recorder, otherwise this wouldn't usually be possible to do. It felt like… an actual caress, the lightest touches of skin on skin. Tears prickled at her eyes. She had never felt more like a child in all her life than she did now.

Auru, the man who – for many years – had been nothing but firm and hardhearted as her guardian… her father… he… _loved_ her.

A soft whimper escaped her throat, but she herself could hardly hear it. She shuddered, and the caress of the hologram steadied into a firm grasp. She stilled, trying to bring her mind back to rights as Auru's hologram began to speak again.

"I am sorry," he said to her, bright gray that she now recognized to be _just_ like her own, looking down at her with such tenderness that she found it difficult to breathe. His eyes closed, and for a moment there was silence until he sighed deeply before closing the gap between them. That was when Ashei's heart grew from a light fluttering to a steady thumping in her chest, and the tears that had been teasing to become real finally began to slowly escape.

Though it was only a hologram, Ashei swore that she could feel his warmth against her; his breath ghosting the nape of her neck as he spoke.

"I should've held you," he whispered, "been more gentle, shown more tenderness…" When he pulled away, she could see the beginnings of tears pooling in his own eyes, noticing the fine bristles of the stubble he'd forgotten to shave. She wished she could reach up to touch them.

"But I should waste no more of your time with this. I have apologized, and that is all I can do. Except, perhaps…"

He leaned in closer, and Ashei's breath came out in a soft shudder when she felt the ghost of skin and lips, and stubble brushing her forehead in a quick, but tender motion. He reached up with a hand to brush a lock of hair out of her eyes, but the hologram could only go so far and it just fell right through them.

"I can say that I love you. And your mother does too."

He stepped away, leaving Ashei to stand there trembling as she watched him.

"My last request of you is that you help that boy… I never got his name, but I expect I will when he awakes in the Sacred Realm. Help him, Ashei. You are… our only hope." He offered her one last, tender smile. "Good luck, my darling."

His image blinked, once… twice. And then it was gone.

Slowly, as though coming out of a dream, Ashei brushed away her tears and walked over to eject the holo-disk, putting it back in its case. Still holding the disk, she shuffled towards the desk against the wall near the door of the study, turning the light on all the way until it shone brightly beneath the cylindrical white lampshade. She pulled the chair out from under the desk, and this chair was less rigid, softer; more comfortable.

She sat there for some time, the holo-disk on the desk next to the book, her thoughts turning over and over in her mind.

Auru was her father. Impa was her mother. Both of her parents were dead, and each of the last times she had seen them… they hadn't been alive. The recording had been just before the coup on the castle, and he'd given it to her mother for safekeeping. Even if she hadn't been in the Sacred Realm with Link when they'd seen her, she'd have probably told Link to find her and tell her where the book and disk were. But… all those years during the Evil King's reign… that _had_ been him. Or… had it?

She frowned. Anakin and Obi-Wan had seen him too. If he'd been appearing to her all those years as something else, they would know. But first… she glanced at the book.

Opening it, she found a letter inside addressed to her from Impa. Upon opening it and reading its contents, she could hardly keep herself from smiling, just a little. Despite likely having written this before heading to her doom, Impa's words were as witty and clever as ever.

Now she knew where her own wit came from.

Like Auru's hologram, Impa's letter expressed her deepest apologies that she hadn't been more involved. She'd thought it was what was best for Ashei at the time, and she'd had the Princess to look after. But she also expressed how proud she was to call Ashei her daughter. She too, wished they could've spent more time together, even under the guise of mentor and student, but despite that such a wish had never come to fruition, the last lines of Impa's letter detailed how much she loved Ashei, and that she never forget it.

At the bottom there was a postscript with a particular page number of the book written next to it and the location of a box of chalk that could be found in the upper right hand drawer of her desk. Ashei folded the letter and flipped though the book until she found the page, reading the instructions listed. She sighed deeply, leaning back into the chair.

Well, she wouldn't be repairing the spells tonight. She'd have to set an alarm and get up before dawn, since that was what the spell required.

Finally she closed the book, slipping the letter back inside and placing the holo-disk back on top. She replaced the chair and turned off the light, though not before she opened the door of the study and exited the room, heading towards the kitchens where she could smell good things cooking and there was good company to be had.

As she entered, she came upon yet another rare sight. After arriving back at Impa's house that was now Anju's (or… was it hers?), they had taken the liberty of tending to the rest of their wounds and getting properly cleaned up.

Obi-Wan was laughing as she entered the kitchen at some joke that was likely either Anakin's or at Anakin's expense, and his eyes flickered to Ashei as she walked in. He noticed her thoughtful expression and quirked a curious eyebrow in question, reminding her of the thing she'd wanted to ask him.

"Ashei."

She turned towards the sound, a bit surprised that it hadn't come from Obi-Wan. She blinked in surprise.

"Link?" she asked by way of a reply, as she currently hadn't the capacity to say much of anything else. Link had been helping Anju cook and was just now finishing whatever task she'd given him. He'd been in the process of removing a white apron as she'd entered, and while turning to face her he handed it off to Miss Anju for her to use. He flashed her a gentle smile, and she was suddenly struck with a soft pang of pain in the center of her chest at the memory of Auru's – of her _father's_ hologram giving her such a smile.

Somehow… he could sense her distress, and while his smile remained, concern filled his eyes as he watched: hoping to discern the cause of her pain.

"Are you all right?" he asked, tilting his head slightly to the left.

It was such an adorable gesture that his obvious concern and affection seemed to help return her fluttering heart and aching head to their proper workings, finally enabling her to return his smile with a small one of her own.

"As all right as I can be," she said softly, and she took a seat at the small table that appeared to be where they'd be dining tonight. While one could appreciate the vastness of the dining room table they'd used the night before with its cushioned chairs and spacious, polished tabletop, this close, square little wood table and with its scratches and stools seemed to be just what they needed after a day like today.

Link sat down shortly after she did, though whether he'd brought his stool closer to hers on purpose or by accident was something she wondered about.

"Obi-Wan?" she asked in a similar tone of voice. He glanced up at her, slowly moving from his relaxed position against the back of the stool to lean over the tabletop with his elbows against the wood and his fingers interlocked.

"Yes, Ashei?" he said lightheartedly, "What is it?"

Ashei sighed, sitting up a little straighter. She had to stop beating around the bush and get this over with. All she wanted to know was…

"When Auru came to you… before we met, did he… appear as anything he shouldn't be?" Obi-Wan frowned. What could she possibly be getting at? He cleared his throat and shrugged. "Can you be more specific?" Ashei stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Ah… I suppose what I'm trying to ask is whether or not he was alive when you met… at least strictly speaking."

Ah, that was it. But why did she want to know that?

"Not technically no," he answered her, "When we got the message that he'd sent on the day of the coup about seven years after the event had already taken place, we figured that whoever sent the message was probably dead. We were surprised to find him still around when we arrived on the planet, but he wasn't still around in the sense that you and I are. He was appearing to us as what we call a Force ghost, and it seemed to be that he'd been hanging around as such for a long while since his form was beginning to lose its shape and solidity."

He paused, having sat back up as he'd been explaining this to her, now somewhat curious as to her reasons. "Why do you ask?"

But she appeared to be in her own little world.

Having shifted into a similar position to the one he'd been in previously, she had her head resting on her hands and was muttering softly, "So, he was appearing to me all that time as… as a Force ghost." She ran a hand through her hair, realizing that the last day she'd seen her father alive was the day she'd first met Link on her way to the river to catch some fish to eat…

Ashei found that she could even remember the last words she'd said to him.

"_Thanks so much, Auru! We'll eat fish tonight when you come back!"_

She also remembered that she ended up eating that fish alone while she sat curled up on her bed, terrified of the sounds of fighting and explosions aboveground.

When Auru had come back the next day, she'd assumed that she'd been wrong and nothing had happened to the town at all… but it hadn't, and he'd refused to answer her when she'd asked why he hadn't come. But she _had_ rushed to him and clung to him when he'd arrived back the following morning, noticing how he smelled so strongly of incense… and blood.

Finally she huffed softly through her nose as she looked down at the table with a distant expression.

"The reason I asked, Obi-Wan… is because Auru is my father."

She closed her eyes and let a long, slow breath as her three companions quieted all at once, with the only sounds coming from Anju as she walked about the house doing other things while their dinner cooked on a timer she'd come to answer in a few more minutes.

Anakin, surprisingly, was the first to speak. "H-How do you know this exactly?" She glanced up and over in his direction, her expression focused, but reserved.

"The holo-disk that Impa left me… it was a recording Auru made just before the coup. He left it with… with Impa so that I would know." She wasn't quite ready to tell them about Impa being her mother. Perhaps she would tell Link later. "So that is probably why I have the genes necessary to access Light magic, because he is the Sage of Light." She also wondered if that was why she would be able to repair the spells of protection for the Shadow Temple.

Beside her, Link nodded. "Yes, I suppose that does make sense."

By now he'd moved so close to her that their shoulders were almost touching, and judging by his expression she could see he hadn't realized he'd been doing it. She hummed a chuckle as she smiled at him – being so close helped ease the ache she felt all over – and she moved up against him and let her head rest against his shoulder.

"I feel… much better though. Not perfect yet, but I can breathe easier now. My mind isn't so absorbed by trying to figure it out, and things are beginning balance again."

She glanced over at Obi-Wan, who was still silent.

"Aren't they?" she asked him eagerly, "Can't you feel it?" Another quizzical eyebrow quirked in her direction, but he cast out his senses and hesitantly came to the same conclusion. It made sense after all, if there was only one more temple to clear.

He finally nodded slowly in answer to Ashei's question, muttering quietly, "Yes, I believe I can. The planet's beginning to right itself again."

"And that's a good sign?" Anakin asked slowly. Obi-Wan sat up straighter, now fully awakened from his reverie at the honest curiosity in his padawan's voice. And as he was explaining why a planet's energies needed to remain in balance, Ashei leaned against Link while they sat there in silence, quite content with themselves.

Suddenly the timer on the stove began to ring and Anju rushed into the room to turn it off. Pulling mitts onto her hands she opened the compartment and pulled out five portions of baked fish that made Ashei's mouth water despite the slight tug on her heart. Beside her, Link shifted so that they'd have more space to eat, but he caught her eye and tilted his head again in question.

"Later," she whispered, "Promise." And he seemed to be satisfied with that.

Anju served each of their portions with sides of fluffy white rice and seasoned sweet corn. Even Ashei couldn't help her mouth watering at the smell.

"If you don't mind," Anju said as she excused herself from the room, "I'll be dining in my room tonight. I have some reading I'd like to catch up on and now's the perfect time to do it!" Link nodded. "Go on, it'll be no trouble."

And so they ate in amiable silence until Obi-Wan finally remembered what it was he'd wanted to ask Link before Anakin had gone and made him forget with that joke of his. He swallowed, took a long drink of his cup of tea and straightened up as soon as he caught the young warrior's eye.

"Link? So where are we going after this?"

"The desert," he replied, not missing a beat. Though Ashei had known, she still frowned at the knowledge. "That's going to be a mite difficult getting there. The Spirit Temple is supposed to be somewhere in the Haunted Wasteland, but the only way onto it is by going through the Gerudo Fortress."

Obi-Wan had resumed eating his dinner by sprinkling some salt on his rice before beginning to scoop it up bit by bit.

"Gerudo Fortress? That doesn't sound terribly inviting."

Ashei shook her head. "They're not. The Gerudo is the tribe of all women warriors that Ganondorf hails from, and they're not at all inclined to spare the lives of any that attempt to trespass on their land without their permission. Although…" she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "They'll usually spare the lives of the good-looking men that they capture… at least for a day or so until they have their way with them."

Link, who was in the middle of swallowing a piece of fish, coughed a little as it went down, only just managing to avoid choking on it by taking a long swing of the milk in his glass.

"As in… _that_ way?" he asked quietly. Ashei nodded.

"And what about the girls?" Anakin asked, glancing at Ashei. She shrugged. "I'm not certain. Generally they kill most of them on sight, but I've heard if you can put up enough of a fight then they might let you live."

"You shouldn't have too much of a problem then," Anakin interjected, trying to lighten the mood with a bit of levity, "You're good at fighting things." Ashei smiled at him into her cup of tea. "Thank you for the encouragement, Anakin. However, I suggest that we be extra careful from this point on."

Across the table, Obi-Wan nodded. "So how do you recommend we proceed?" Ashei chuckled, leaning back a bit from the table. "Very cautiously, for starters. But I suppose now would be a good time to point out that while the Gerudo are good at taking technology from others and using it for their own devices, they won't allow non-organic forms of travel anywhere near the desert. This especially applies to the town just on the far western side of the fields. It used to be a neutral zone back before the coup, but…"

Ashei shrugged. "Obviously it isn't now."

"So we should travel by horse then?" Link piped in, "Or some kind of animal?" Ashei nodded. "That would be best. They also like taking up any technological weapons, but things like bows and swords are usually safe, at least within the perimeter of the town. After that if you set foot on Gerudo soil then all bets are off." She shot a pointed look at Obi-Wan, who nodded.

"It won't be hard to disguise our lightsabers and blasters." He glanced in Anakin's direction. "Or at least it shouldn't be." Anakin's lips twitched in a smile for a moment before his expression turned serious and he shook his head in agreement. "It shouldn't be, Master."

Obi-Wan seemed a little surprised at his padawan's actions, but he caught Link's gaze and then he remembered that perhaps it was his encouragement that had allowed Anakin to make so much progress.

"Anything else we should know?" he prompted after another moment.

"Dress comfortably. This is a desert after all." She glanced at the light and dark earthy tones of their clothing, glancing at Link. She knew that _she_ wouldn't stand out so much with her own clothing, but Link would have to stick to his traveling cloak if he was going to blend in.

"Blending in with the locals might help. Perhaps if we sold that spare Hookshot chain for some more Rupees then we could pick up a few things that would be of assistance." She thought for another moment, but couldn't think of anything else that was terribly pressing. She was also tired and longed for a nice long bath, since she hadn't had one since they'd come back from the Fire Temple. Of course she'd showered since then, but there was always something about a bath that helped her gather her thoughts…

…and she definitely had a lot of thoughts to gather tonight.

"That's all that I can think of at the present," she murmured as she began collecting stray bits of food that had wandered off their plates. "So now that we've finished with our meal I suggest we all get clean and rested for tomorrow. It'll take us a couple of hours to reach Lon Lon Ranch, but we should be able to make good time and reach the border town by late afternoon if we don't stop for lunch."

They seemed to come to a consensus at that, so each of them picked up whatever dishes and utensils were theirs as they stacked and laid them neatly in the dishwasher that would clean them by morning, ready for Anju to put away as she made breakfast.

Anakin and Obi-Wan headed for the shower room that Anju had left set up for them, though Link was still hesitant to follow. He and Ashei stood in the hallway in front of their door when Ashei politely reminded him that there was a private shower in what had been previously Impa's chambers, which were only a door to the right of theirs. He quickly thanked her and went to fetch some clean clothes before heading in that direction.

Ashei remembered that this time she would be bathing without Anju's assistance, so even though she knew she _could _ask the older woman to lend her a hand she opted instead to fetch her own clothes, a brush and comb, as well as some new bindings for her breast-band.

After pouring in some lavender-scented bubble solution, Ashei drew water from the tap against the wall and disrobed while the tub filled up.

Once the bath was ready, Ashei slipped in and sighed as she leaned against the cushioned headrest. She took a few moments just to lie there in the wet warmth as the lavender filled her senses, but eventually she sat up and began undoing the bindings of her hair so that she could wash it properly. She set them on the pile of dirty clothing next to the tub, making sure to avoid the neat pile of clean nightclothes on the stool beside the sink.

As she threaded her fingers through her hair, pouring the bathwater over her head using a pitcher on the nearby stool, Ashei was finally able to think about all of the things she'd experienced recently. The spirit and the well, the Shadow Temple itself, and of course everything that her father had told her through his holo-disk and her mother's letter…

She realized that she couldn't keep it to herself.

Slowly and methodically Ashei began scrubbing the mint shampoo into her scalp, groaning softly with relief as the scent mixed with the lavender and gave her an even clearer head. Hopefully Link wouldn't mind brushing her hair again tonight, since she found that she could tell him the things she usually couldn't tell anyone else when they were alone.

She kept her eyes closed as she rinsed the soap from her hair, and then she went to work on her body, being careful of the cuts that were still healing and the spots that were still tender from the events of the day. After running the comb through her hair in an effort to minimize the tangles when she dried it, she finally decided that she was ready and so she stepped out onto a patterned rug inscribed with the symbol of the Triforce.

Grasping the clean towel she'd also set above her dry nightclothes, she wiped away the excess water while the tub drained. She wrapped it around herself after that, using another towel to dry it. Unfortunately she couldn't get it all with the towel, so she needed the drying spell to get the rest.

Dropping both towels onto the dirty clothes pile, Ashei picked up the bindings for her breast-band and studied them.

What if she left them off for the night?

Ashei shuddered, the thought making her cheeks flush despite how obviously aroused it made her feel. She scowled, cursing under her breath as she tied the bindings in place. They weren't ready for that yet, and she wasn't about to distract him with problems of _that_ nature… it was hard enough for him to care so much about her in the way that he did already. Eventually she got around to putting her cotton nightclothes on: a pair of pants that were slightly too long and a shirt with shorter sleeves than her other pair.

She gathered everything else in her arms, clasping the brush and comb in one hand.

Link was curled up beneath the covers of the bed that he had shared with Ashei the previous night. He was trying to sleep, but his mind wouldn't stop working to let him. It was hanging there, just at the edge of achieving – like standing at the edge of a pit – but also out of the realm of accomplishing. He opened his eyes, frowning at the image that train of thought brought about in his head. Since the Well, his thoughts had been a little… strange.

And that scared him.

He looked over to his right at the little table beside the bed. Beneath the lamp lay his hat, with the softly glowing form of Navi curled up in the fabric. It had turned a reddish color when he'd stuffed his green tunic inside it, so now the red Goron tunic was laying draped across the back of the chair next to the dresser across from the foot of the bed.

Seeing that Navi was asleep but Ashei had yet to come back yet from her bath, Link decided to attempt sleep again, pulling the covers up to his neck and over his undershirt. A few more minutes passed by until he realized it was too warm for the undershirt and the covers, so he sat up, groaning softly as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. He got up, shuffling to the chair as he removed the offending article of clothing, and he was in the process of draping it over the chair with the rest of his clothes when the door opened.

He blinked, staring at the person in the doorway.

Ashei had just come back to their room after having put her clothing in the laundry room to wash – she'd notified Anju, who said she'd be up for another hour and would see that they were dry in the morning – and she was a little surprised to see Link standing next to the chair by the dresser, folding his undershirt across its back, leaving him to be standing in front of her in what appeared to be only a pair of khaki cotton pants with white boxers peeking out from underneath.

At least, she hoped they were boxers.

She cleared her throat. "Um… bit warm are you?" Link's gaze lost its surprised and returned to a tired deadpan as he replied with a shrug.

"Yeah, a bit. Do you… mind?" He seemed to realize that he was shirtless in front of _her_, and while it hadn't bothered him to be shirtless in only a pair of pants and boxers five seconds ago, it did now. Just a little.

Glad for the fact that her face was cast in shadow thanks to the lighting in the hall having powered down moments ago, she shook her head despite the flushing in her cheeks. "No, not really." It wasn't technically a lie. She'd been curious as to what he really looked like ever since that time he'd called her beautiful in the hallway.

"Still," she pressed softly, holding up her brush, "would you mind helping me out again? I know you're tired, but… we should talk."

In the dim light, she could see him smile softly, his eyes relaxing as he nodded without thought. Taking the brush in one hand and her wrist in the other, he led them around to the side of the bed that was less rumpled and helped her climb under the covers with him. They sat in the same positions that they'd sat in when he'd done this for her back in Zora's Domain, but at the time there had been much more light and a few more layers of clothing.

It felt more intimate than last time.

And perhaps it was.

"So," he whispered, somehow conscious of the change between them, "what was it you wanted to talk about?" She frowned, not from pain – Link was always gentle with her – but from the way he'd phrased it. He'd said 'you.' Perhaps he'd also picked up on the way she'd phrased her question so carefully. Or there was something he wanted to talk about but was afraid to.

She'd figure it out. But first…

"Yes," she said shortly, but in the same manner that Link had. "It's about Impa." Link kept brushing the length of hair on her right side, but he felt his expression turn quizzical in the semi-darkness. "Yes? What about her?"

"She's my mother, Link."

That did make him stop. But after that brief pause, he resumed his brushing and had moved on to the middle parts of her long, dark hair.

"Impa is… your mother?" He couldn't quite keep the surprise out of his voice, no matter how hard he tried. "Was that what the holo-disk was about?" She shook her head slightly so that his work would go uninterrupted. "Yes and no," she sighed, and so she launched into a long explanation about the contents of the holo-disk and the letter she'd found tucked away in the book that Impa had left for her.

By now, Link had finished brushing and had gently turned Ashei so that they could look at each other as they spoke. "So now I need to get up before dawn so that I can fix the spells. Should probably set an alarm…" Link shook his head. "No, I'll wake you. I usually get up before the sun does anyway."

He paused, his expression tightening thoughtfully at something she'd said.

"So… when Impa looked at you in the Chamber of the Sages… why wouldn't she tell you then?" Ashei shook her head slightly. "She was herself to the very end. She couldn't tell me in front of everyone else. Even you. Probably especially you. What would you have thought of me if she'd told me right then? Can you honestly say that you wouldn't have gone to the wrong conclusions?" She paused, and Link searched himself for an honest answer. He didn't exactly like what he found, but…

He chuckled softly. "You know me too well."

That… scared him too. And he told her as much. She nodded in reply. "I know. It is scary. But… that's what means to love someone, I think. Or at least that's what it means in part. I can't say for sure if that's the whole thing." She frowned, and Link waited patiently as she thought of the words to say.

"Perhaps love is more than one thing. Obviously it requires two people, and for those two people to require some form of equal affection… and then for those people to know the other so that they can properly distinguish mature love from the euphoric." Link raised one skeptical eyebrow in her direction.

"Euphoric love? What… do you mean by that, exactly?"

He reached up with his left hand and gently stroked her the right side of her face. Eventually he seemed to realize that it wasn't just his movements anymore, and that Ashei was also moving her head slightly so that his thumb brushed against her lips for just a moment, her eyes half closed and her lips gently tugging at the tender joint that fused his thumb to his hand…

Until her eyes opened wide when she realized what she was doing and she moved away slightly, but only just enough so that his hand was no longer touching her face. She flushed, and finally managed to gather enough of herself to say something that sounded like, "Something a bit like that."

"Physical attraction, then?" he asked her gently.

Ashei nodded a little. "Yes. Auru always told me that people tend to confuse euphoric love with mature love, especially when the euphoric love is so… so strong." Her eyes dilated slightly as her gaze wandered to his bare chest, and she couldn't help but reach out her right hand to trail the skin between his pectorals. Careful to avoid more… _sensitive_ tissue, she let the hand trail to his stomach, which wasn't quite as muscled as she thought it would be. She could still definitely see evidence of their travels on his wiry adult body, but he was by no means heavily muscled.

She twitched when her fingers brushed against the fabric of his pants, pulling her hand away but allowing it to rest in the crook of his left arm.

That too wasn't as muscled as she thought it would be. His body frame was leaner than his clothing and chain mail would suggest, so there was obvious evidence of strength even in the way he sat, but they were muscles of necessity, gained only from fighting for his survival.

As she'd been exploring, Link's muscles twitched under her touch. Her hands weren't cold… no, they were quite the opposite. And then there was that feeling that was stirring in his gut, that same feeling that had always made him uncomfortable around well-endowed women, only this one wasn't quite so awkward. The feeling increased slightly when her fingers brushed the hem of his pants, but it immediately faded once her fingers twitched and latched onto the crook of his left arm instead.

"And I had thought it was only emotions that counted for physical attraction," he breathed, sounding perhaps a tad more affected than he thought he'd be. Ashei chuckled, a wry smile tugging at her lips as he felt her grip on his arm relax into a more comfortable grip.

"Didn't you read that book I gave you that day in the library?" she asked with that same smile still playing on her face, amusement dominating her features. "You know, the one about mammalian mating rituals and how they work among hominids like us?" Link flushed, remembering _exactly_ what she was talking about.

"So people… sometimes mistake _that_ part of a relationship for… love?"

Ashei nodded. "And… it's not like I _don't_ want that with you…" she blushed, and this time Link caught a better glimpse of her face in the moonlight. "I… I-I _do_, but… not yet." She smiled at him wearily, tenderly, almost guiltily. "I kind of want to make sure that we live though this first before… before we decide anything."

Link blinked, stunned. Ashei… wanted him? Like… like _that_?

That thought made the feeling in his gut return, but he put the thought out of his mind and brought himself back to the conversation at hand.

"Yeah," he chuckled softly, "let's clear the temple, find the Princess and slay the Evil King before we decide anything. Who knows, if we live through this, I might even try to court you properly or something." He paused, suddenly feeling the weight of his words and a sudden compulsion to make sure she would be okay with that.

"Would you… mind that terribly?"

Ashei, now similarly stunned, blinked stupidly at him in return. But when she heard him ask if she would mind him courting her and looking so terribly frightened and fragile, it was all she could do not to press him against the pillows and kiss him forcefully.

"Oh, Link…" she whispered, eyes wide and bright, softening as she leaned in close and pressed their foreheads together, unable to keep her hands from wandering up his arms to clasp his shoulders beneath their wayward fingers.

"I wouldn't mind it at all."

Slowly they shifted so that they were lying against the pillows, the covers pulled over their shoulders. And it was then that they allowed themselves to share a deep, but tender kiss that somehow transcended their physical attraction and became their true affections personified. Link felt as though he knew himself better, knowing more about Ashei, and the weight that had been on his mind was lifted away, allowing him to slip into the pit and fall into the abyss that was the elusive attainment called sleep.

"I think I love you too, Ashei," he whispered in reference to what she said two nights ago before drifting off and leaving Ashei to wait for sleep on her own. She wouldn't be long. But in the few moments before she joined him, she smiled at him and stroked his hair, her fingers tingling with the power of her magic. Between them, his right hand was trapped against his chest and she pulled it to her so that she could press a gentle kiss against it.

"But now I _know_ that I do."

And with that, she moved closer to his warmth and let it welcome her with open arms into a deep, restful slumber.

* * *

><p>Um… so. The desert will come next time, I promise!<p>

Also, any noticeable Star Wars quotes weren't intentional… at least when I wrote them. Just saying.

So I got a little carried away with the character development… but, good news is my 3-week mini class is over so now I can work on getting back to this! I promise to work on it until after the Spirit Temple, and then I'll probably wander off again. Or if I get a job… I'll have less time to work, so I might be slower in updating. I'll update this chapter if I do get something between now and my next installment.

I also bought Oracle of Seasons and Ages on the Nintendo eShop, and a friend of mine finally convinced me to convert to being a Whovian (lol), so now I'm trying to watch all seven seasons of the 'new' Doctor Who in less than two months (she's taking me to see Wicked on July 26th and wants me caught up by then), but I'm doing my best to work on this too. XD

Promise I'll update soon!

- Hikari no Vikki


	24. The Edge of the Valley

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Edge of the Valley

Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force

Chapter: 24

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: Disney owns Star Wars, not me. As for Zelda… no, sorry. Don't own that either. (Not a bad turnout at E3 though…)

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

Finally dragged myself away from my audiobooks… _now_ we should be getting somewhere! Gerudo Desert, here we come!

* * *

><p>Link awoke before the dawn as he always did, blinking stupidly into the dim light of the new day. It was hard to believe that each day actually existed, but it had always been that way since he'd been forced to become an adult.<p>

Hmm… forced? Had he really been forced?

He frowned, thinking back to the only meeting he'd had with the Princess when he'd still been a child. He remembered a moment – vague and very faint – but there had been one moment when she'd stared at him as though she knew what was going to happen if he agreed to help her. Truthfully, he hadn't, but… he sighed, glancing over so that his eyes rested on Ashei.

Thoughts rolling lazily in his mind, he turned over to stare at the young woman next to him. She was spooned up against him so he couldn't see her face, but he could see the long dark waves of her hair spilling over her shoulders, covering her like a second blanket.

Yes, technically he'd been forced to grow older, but that had been his body alone. He couldn't have physically held the Master Sword as a child. However, his _mind_ didn't necessarily need to mature, but he'd subconsciously chosen that path, dangerous and terrifying as it was. He'd chosen it, not because he needed to understand his adult body better, but because he needed to understand _himself_.

And he'd chosen it because he trusted Ashei to help him do that.

A soft smile spread across his lips as he glanced up at the still dim light outside the bedroom window. Dawn was still yet to arrive, but it wouldn't be long before the sky lightened much further. Time to get up, it seemed. Ashei had said she had work to do. "Ashei," he whispered as he leaned over towards her ear, "time to get up." The muscles of her face twitched, and she groaned sharply in distaste. She was not a morning person, it seemed.

"Ashei," he pressed, leaning away and speaking just a bit louder, "you asked me to wake you before dawn, didn't you?"

Finally her eyes fluttered open and she rolled over onto her back with her right hand massaging her temple in slow, deliberate circles. She groaned again, but this time it was softer and slightly less angry.

"Stupid spell," she muttered, "has to be fixed before dawn…"

Eventually she managed to pull herself into a sitting position and dragged herself in the direction of the door. "Hey, where are you going?" Link asked, noting that she was still in her nightclothes. She glanced back at him sleepily but managed to shoot a hazy smile his way.

"To get my clothes. Anju said she'd put them in the dryer before she went to bed. I'd suggest you get dressed yourself if you want to come and watch."

And with that she exited the room.

.oOo.

A quarter of an hour later the two of them were back at the entrance of the Shadow Temple, fully dressed and mostly awake. Ashei was on the floor, her still unbound hair spilling over her shoulders as she knelt, redrawing the words for the spells and sprinkling them with salt as she went; Link leaning in the entrance with his back against the wall.

"Why salt?" he'd asked her when he'd noticed her carrying it.

"Helps the spells keep the spirits in… and out. They'll burn if they touch it. Some will even disintegrate if they touch salt, but that's only for the really weak ones or ones that haven't been tainted for very long."

"Tainted?" he parroted by way of a reply. She nodded slightly, glancing back at the page she had the book opened to in order to check her spellwork.

"Yeah," she breathed, finally standing up and sprinkling salt over the last of the redrawn words, "Evil spirits don't start out evil. They become tainted when someone does something evil _to_ them or if they themselves did something evil in a past life. It's not something that just happens." Link nodded, his thoughts churning. If that was true, then what had happened to Ganondorf? He couldn't have been pure evil to begin with…

Ashei looked around to survey her handiwork and decided that she'd completed the chalk work to her satisfaction and now it was time to cement the spells and make them permanent.

Flipping to the next page of the spell she stood on the center dais, glancing around at all of the torches that were still lit from yesterday when Link had lit them. As least she wouldn't have to light them all by herself now… she shook her head to chase away those thoughts and brought her concentration back to the present. She cleared her throat and let go of the book, leaving it to rest in the palm of her right hand.

"I claim the right to speak as guardian of this temple," she read aloud, "as is proven by my blood and my own continued existence."

Link startled a bit as the walls pulsed with a wave of magic, white words written in various forms of Hylian, flashing along the bricks in dozens of strings of words upon words… Ashei looked up once, but she didn't stop reading. Now that she had asserted her claim as Impa's heir and a survivor of the Temple, now was the time to put things to rights.

"I command that these words of chalk and of fire do so bend to my will and desire…" She knelt, pressing the palm of her left hand against the cool, dry stone of the dais.

Magic that she had never felt before stirred at her fingertips: curious, and wary. She continued reading.

"Burn these words into flesh and stone, this place the dying call hell and the dead call home. To those within who are bound to stay, if they attempt escape, destroy without delay. To those without who seek within, let them pass and they shall die or live therein. But to those who seek harm and bring evil hence, let the dead rise and the feast commence."

Power curled from deep in Ashei's bones, a dark, hungry power that she had only felt in her dreams. It wasn't evil, but neither was it good. It simply existed for whatever purpose it was commanded to have. She stood, biting her lip and grinding her teeth all at once, drawing blood from her lips. The hand that tingled with power reached up and wiped her lip clean, a few drops of blood resting on the edge of her ungloved index finger.

She glanced at the next instruction, and she quickly stepped away from the dais so that she could shake the few drops of blood on the spot where she'd stood. They hissed with bits of steam where they fell, and Ashei pressed her fingers to her lips again, licking them clean.

"With this blood," she read again, "I bind these spells. I melt them in heat, make them solid again. Finally, as time shifts from night to day, I seal this place and its workings… away!"

A circle of purple light pulsed once from the center and was gone moments later. Ashei stood, blinking stupidly as she realized the torches were no longer blazing and the door leading into the temple was slowly closing now that the flames were no longer present.

"Well… that takes care of that, doesn't it?" she whispered breathlessly.

She knew she should feel weak, lethargic, and fatigued, but the shadows of her mind had been mercifully kind and had left her with most of her own strength, drawing upon the magic of the Temple itself to finish the spell. Link approached her slowly, wary of the shadow magic he could sense hanging in the air around her.

"Are you all right?"

Ashei turned around to face him, her face unreadable. "I… think so, yeah." She blinked once, twice. Let out a long breath she hadn't even known she'd been holding…

"That was… intense." She chuckled, flushing slightly with embarrassment as she shuffled her feet and hugged the spellbook against her chest. "Did I scare you?" she asked gently. Link shook his head. "It was a _little_ terrifying, but…" He gestured to the walls with one hand. "It was mostly because of the words that were appearing on the walls when you were speaking. Were they part of the temple's enchantments?"

Ashei glanced at them, studying them with an intense expression. She touched one nearest her, gingerly running her fingers over the stone. In the spaces around her fingers, the walls tingled with fresh magic and the same white Hylian lettering glowed briefly.

"Yeah, I think so," she replied, nodding in agreement.

"These spells have been here since the Temple's creation." She pointed to one of the fading characters. "Look at that one: I don't even know if there are any records left of that particular dialect." Link hummed quietly under his breath. "I don't even recognize them myself, and I was able to read Shad's journal…"

Ashei glanced in his direction when Link had mentioned the journal. It had been less than a week ago that they'd gone into the graveyard for the first time… four days ago if she remembered correctly, not counting the first day before they'd arrived at Kakariko. But… Link was right. Shad Dampé's journal had been written in a version of the Hylian script that Ashei had never seen before, and _Link_ had somehow been able to read it.

"We should probably get back soon," Link cut in to Ashei's thoughts, "Anju will be getting up in another half hour and I don't want to miss breakfast." Ashei glanced down upon hearing her stomach growl, and she nodded fervently in agreement. "Mmm, I quite agree with you there…"

.oOo.

After having heard Ashei's description of the Gerudo Desert and the people that inhabited it last night, no one was terribly anxious to get going anytime soon. But Link knew that there was no avoiding it, and so it was he that finally managed to get everyone packed up and out the door. After thanking Anju for her delicious breakfast yet another time, the four of them set off for the ranch.

"So how many horses do you think we should get?" Obi-Wan asked Ashei as they exited the forest and continued along the path to Lon Lon Ranch. Ashei considered this question, as it had been among the things on her mind while she'd soaked in her bath.

"Four would be nice, you know, one for each of us…"

"But if Malon can't spare them then we'll take as many as we can get?" Link finished. Ashei nodded. "Yes. Two will do, but three or four would be better. Even one horse and a wooden cart would do nicely, but I wouldn't push our luck." She glanced at Link, who had pulled his brown woolen traveling cloak tightly around his bright red tunic, his hat stuffed in one of his pockets. It would do wonders once they got to the desert, but until then the bright colors would be a liability.

They were unusually quiet the rest of the way there, though Ashei couldn't put her finger on why. It was as though someone were watching their every move, and it made her nervous and on-edge. The hair on the back of her neck was standing on end, and as they got closer to the ranch, she swore that she could hear someone's voice upon the wind.

Anakin frowned. "Is it just me, or is the wind _whispering_?"

Link paused, the four of them standing just outside the entrance to Lon Lon Ranch. "No, it's not just you. I hear it too." He stood up straighter and scanned the horizon, his gaze finally fixing on the dark shape in the distance that was what remained of Castle Town.

"I think it's Ganondorf," he said quietly as though the name might summon the man, "We've cleared four of the five temples and five of the six sages have been awakened. You said last night that the balance of the planet was shifting, Ashei… so why shouldn't it just be us that noticed it? I'm sure any magician or Force-sensitive worth their salt could've sensed it as long as they knew what they were looking for."

His eyes narrowed, and a soft growl rumbled from deep within Link's chest.

"And now he's likely looking for us. Or me, I suppose. Maybe all of us but likely just me. He thought we were a nuisance back at the Forest Temple, but now that we're so close he's seen that we're a threat."

"And he wants us gone," Obi-Wan mused. "Makes sense."

"I did say that we had to be more careful from now on," Ashei muttered. Link chuckled darkly. "Yeah, but there's so much more than just Hyrule at stake. Even when I thought I was a Kokiri I knew that there were other planets out there besides this one. Ganondorf would have known, and he won't rest even after he's conquered the other kingdoms."

"He's going to want the whole universe," Anakin murmured solemnly.

Link turned back to the ranch, taking a deep breath as he steeled himself to go inside. "And it's up to us to stop him. A man like Ganondorf wouldn't have sat idly twiddling his thumbs for seven years while he waited for me to wake up and start throwing wrenches into his engines. Even if he's got forces conquering the other kingdoms right now…"

"He's probably been trying to make contact with some of the darker things of the universe." Ashei finished, at last coming to a final but terrifying conclusion, "Who knows if any have heard his calls?"

"Then we'd better get going then," Obi-Wan pressed. "Let's get some transportation and head for the desert – now!"

They found Malon leaning against the corral fence not far from the entrance to the ranch proper. She was watching Romani, Talon, and Ingo tinker with what looked like a rather large carrier speeder, wry smile teasing the edges of her lips. Her ears twitched as she heard footsteps on the path, her body tensing with apprehension as she turned to see who it was.

They didn't often get customers coming by for a visit anymore… at least any of the harmless variety.

But her smile returned when she saw that it was Link and his companions again, even though they didn't exactly look as though they'd come by for lunch and a chat.

"Hello fairy boy," she teased gently, "what brings you by the ranch on such a fine day?" Link's lips twisted slightly as her teasing reminded him of a time when he hadn't needed to worry about evil kings and planets other than his own, but he managed to come back to the present and answer Malon's question properly.

"Transportation, actually. I know it might sound a bit daft, but we need a way into the valley in the west… or something that'll at least get us into the town at the edge of the desert without drawing too much attention."

By now, Romani had noticed their presence and threw down his wrench to join them. "It's the fuel line, Da," he said, exasperated, "I'm tellin' you." Talon scowled. "No, I'm sure the fuel line's attached properly… it's got to be something blocking the exhaust, or maybe there's a loose wire somewhere…"

Romani rolled his eyes and held up his hands in defeat.

"Fine, Da. Do what you like, but I'm telling you it's _the fuel line_." After his father didn't respond, he simply shrugged and walked over to where Malon stood talking with Link and the others. "Hey," he greeted them as cheerily as he could without letting to much of his frustration leak into his voice, "it's nice to see you. I hear you're here for some transportation into the valley?"

Link nodded. "Yeah. Any chance you can help us?"

Romani glanced back at the carrier speeder and the two people working on it.

"Eh… I suppose," he spat grudgingly, gesturing behind him, "If I can get Dad to admit that all he needs to do is check the spark plugs connected to the fuel lines." He glanced back again to see Ingo sitting up and staring at Talon with a pitiful, irritated expression. He caught Romani's gaze and the two shared a look that none but Malon could interpret.

"We could lend you Epona and our manual cart," Malon chirped happily in an attempt to diffuse the situation, "but first we need to get the carrier speeder working. We lugged it here just yesterday and ever since the boys have been working nonstop to get it cleaned up and ready for use."

She scowled, glaring at Romani who chuckled nervously and held up his hands again, this time in mock surrender.

"But _someone_ decided I was too _delicate_ to work on it… huh. Delicate my–!"

"Malon!" Romani hissed, "Not. Here!" Malon rolled her eyes and huffed as she placed her hands on her hips. "Just as well, none of these hard-working men can ever remember to come in and fix something to eat or drink, so I've been stuck looking after them to make sure they don't faint from hunger."

She shot Romani a look and this time he simply flushed crimson before shaking his head slightly to chase away the heat.

"All right, all right," he conceded, "anyway, so is there any chance you could help us out and get Talon to…" he trailed off, glancing back again. Anakin, looked the young man over, noticing that instead of his usual dark purple outfit, he was simply wearing (what used to be) a white tank top that was stained with globs of grease and other liquids and smeared with oil above tan cargo pants with similar stains and a pair of thick black boots.

"I think I can help," Anakin said at last, moving around Obi-Wan and Link and starting for the hood of the carrier speeder's engine. He tapped it once to get Talon's attention, and the poor man accidentally knocked his head against something as he'd been coming out from underneath the chassis.

"Sorry to startle you," he said politely, "but I have experience working with speeders and I heard you were having trouble. Might I have a look?"

Talon blinked a couple of times before he recognized the young man behind Anakin, the one with the blond hair and blue eyes. "Ah, Link is it? You're all grown up now I see…" He eyed Anakin suspiciously. "Do you trust this young man?" he asked warily.

Link nodded. "Yeah I do, Talon. With my life." Anakin blinked, standing just a little straighter than he'd been before. Link trusted him with his life?

Meanwhile, Talon had been sizing up Anakin as he stood by the speeder. "Are you sure you know what you're doing, kid?" Anakin's attention snapped back to the present, and his eyes took in the entire speeder from front to back. "Yeah, I'm sure. Built my own podracer when I was a kid and won the first race I entered. First human to ever do it, mind you." Talon's bushy eyebrows rose up a couple of notches.

"A podracer, huh? All right, let me see what you can do."

Anakin nodded and, already knowing what the problem was, at least made a thorough show of checking everything else before opening the hood where the engine sat and rummaged through the cables to find the spark plugs. As Romani had diagnosed, they were disconnected from the fuel lines, and it didn't take him long to put everything back where it belonged.

Finally, he stood up, closed the hood of the engine compartment and gestured for Talon to try turning it on.

"Should work now, I think," he said casually, and he stood back to watch.

Talon glanced down at the speeder, fiddling with the keys as he stood next to the passenger's side of the vehicle. Shrugging as though it couldn't hurt to do so, he leaned across the dash to fit the key in the ignition and after a moment's pause – turned the key forward.

The speeder's engine roared to life, and Talon jumped back in surprise.

"Well I'll be," he murmured quietly, idly stroking his beard in admiration, "you did it. What was the problem with it anyway?" Anakin grinned. "Spark plugs weren't connected to the fuel lines. Hardly anything worth getting dirty over." Talon stared, blinking rapidly. He spluttered once, twice, then glanced in Romani's direction.

Romani simply gave him a deadpan look, and when he turned to Ingo, the man folded his arms over his chest and did the same.

Finally, Talon sighed in defeat.

"Well, thanks kid," Talon muttered grudgingly, "Anakin, was it?" Anakin nodded. "Yeah. And it wasn't a problem. I've always liked fiddling with machines." He flashed Talon a boyish grin and at once Talon didn't feel quite so embarrassed that his own son had pointed out the problem only moments earlier. "So," he began slowly, "is there anything I can do for you in return?"

And that was how, moments later, the four of them were able to acquire a horse and cart, complete with a few boxes full of spare feed.

"It'll help you get through the town easier," Ingo told them seriously. "If you look like you're there to sell something, people won't look at you _quite_ as funny. Especially the Gerudo." Link, who sat holding the reins at the front next to Ashei, nodded in thanks. "We really appreciate it," he replied, to which Ingo simply waved him away.

"You freed me from being brainwashed. Call it even and leave it there, yeah?"

Link nodded again and waved to Malon and Romani as he guided Epona out of the ranch and the cart disappeared from sight.

"We should take the road along the western side of the ranch," Ashei said as she pulled out the map to study it. "It's a little dangerous but it's the only one that'll put us at the town just before sundown." Obi-Wan, who was sitting in the back of the cart with Anakin, looked around Ashei to glance at the map in her hands.

"So where is it we need to start when we get there?" he asked pointedly.

"We need to find someone to sell the Hookshot chain to and pay someone to look after Epona and the cart for us. Then we can move on to the Gerudo Fortress and finding the entrance to the Wasteland." Anakin frowned and shook his head as they began to approach the tightly packed earth of the valley. "Still sounds like a bad idea…"

Link snorted. "It's our _only_ idea, Anakin."

Another a couple of hours and finally they began to see a town appear on the cliffs high above them. The four exchanged pieces of bread, cheese, and salted strips of meat on the way as Epona pulled the cart up the sloping path. Sparse bits of vegetation began to sprout from the hard-packed earth, accompanied by the hardy palm trees that this region used to be so famous for. Ashei had never been to the desert or even on this road before, so all of this was new to her.

Regardless, she kept as close an eye on their surroundings. Who knew where a Gerudo could be lying in wait to ambush their cart and steal their belongings?

But, nothing happened aside from a few other travelers joining them on the path as they had climbed, and it was almost sundown when at last they reached the top of the path and a little town spread out on the plateau before them.

Brick buildings sat next to and in between buildings of packed earth and concrete. Roads sprawled out in all directions from a single plaza in the center, with only one main road connecting the entry path to the valley beyond. Similar to the vegetation outside the town, hardy little desert ferns and other similar plants were scattered about, some even being used as decorations in painted jars or hanging gardens from open doors and windows, and of course there were palm trees everywhere.

Despite the time of day there were still many people milling about, and when Ashei looked up at the lanterns above them she was surprised to find that they were powered by some sort of electricity; possibly wind or solar power if she had to guess from the panels and wind catchers that were also scattered about.

Vendors hawked their wares under the watchful eyes of the Gerudo that could be seen if one looked hard enough, goats and sheep roamed the crowds of people selling all manner of things: clothing, accessories, food. Ashei glanced back at Obi-Wan and Anakin as she flicked her gaze in the direction of one of the guards.

"Remember what I said last night," she whispered. "We're not safe, even here." Obi-Wan nodded and tightened his cloak over his lightsaber and blaster, gesturing to Anakin to do the same.

Ashei turned back around and leaned over to whisper in Link's left ear.

"We should park the cart somewhere near the center of the city so we can sell the Hookshot chain. There's bound to be someone that'll buy it…" Link did as she asked, carefully guiding Epona to one of the few spots remaining. "So what now?" Anakin asked, glancing around. "The people here seem friendly enough, but…" He glanced over at the fountain in the middle of the plaza where people came to draw water for their various needs.

In front of it stood two Gerudo, still as statues but with hawk-like eyes that gleamed gold in the light of the electric lanterns and the fading sun.

Link glanced at Obi-Wan. "I'll go and find someone to sell the chain to… will you come with me?" Obi-Wan nodded. Link turned to Ashei. "Would you mind finding someone who might take care of Epona and the cart for us?" She ran a hand through her hair in an attempt to wipe the sweat she felt pooling on her brow despite the coming coolness of night. "Yeah, sure." Navi, who had been hiding in one of his belt pockets, suddenly wriggled out and joined Ashei to sit on her shoulder. "I'll go with her and help!" she piped eagerly.

"And me?" asked Anakin. "What do I do, watch the cart?"

"Someone has to," Link said gently. "Epona and the cart don't belong to us, so we need to look after them. I promise it's not cause I think you can't do anything else… I said I trusted you with my life, didn't I? Well, I trust you with Epona's too. Just keep an eye on them, and if anyone asks about what we're selling or where we're setting up shop, just say you're the hired help and that you don't know anything else."

It took Anakin a few moments to wrap his head around everything, but eventually he let his head bob in a slow nod. Link clapped his hands and rubbed them together, looking around excitedly.

"Well now, let's get to it!"

And so Link and Obi-Wan went off in search of someone to sell the chain to, Anakin stayed with Epona and the cart, and Ashei went looking for someone they could trust to look after them while they were off hunting for the temple.

Ashei wandered the streets, or at least appeared to, as she meandered down the main road of the town. "Are we looking for someone specifically," Navi asked, hiding underneath one of Ashei's long dark braids, "or are you just hoping to find someone who looks trustworthy?" Ashei hummed quietly in reply. "I am, actually. There used to be a group of carpenters who lived in Kakariko way back, but they moved away once the building was done."

Sensing that she'd lingered too long on the main road, Ashei ducked into one of the side paths that would loop around out of sight of the watchful eyes of the Gerudo. Staying close to the walls, she did her best to keep out of anyone's way so she wouldn't cause a fuss and draw attention to herself.

"Before they left, they told Impa that they were coming here to see if there was any more work to be done, so I was hoping to see if I could find them… or their leader, Mutoh." Navi nodded, even though Ashei couldn't see. Just then Ashei was pressed against the side of a clay-brick building, melting into the shadows while she scanned the area for any Gerudo that might be watching for anything unusual.

"So what does he look like?" Navi asked again. "Maybe I can help."

"Umm…" Ashei began, trying to remember, "he's an older man, a bit pale but he might've darkened up a bit under this sun…" She glanced over at a stall selling fruit where a tall Gerudo woman stood, eyes combing the streets. "He's got this white mustache that he always keeps trimmed just right, and he always seems to be scowling at you, no matter who you are."

Navi hummed quietly as Ashei spoke.

"And does he have skinny chicken legs and the most bizarre fashion sense you've ever seen?"

Ashei frowned. "What? Yeah, I guess so. He's always wearing these… tiger striped pants in different colors with white leggings, and he had this long blue jacket that he never buttoned and he didn't seem to wear shirts either…" She paused, finding Navi's guess a bit too spot on. "Uh, why do you ask?"

Navi fluttered off Ashei's shoulder just far enough so that Ashei could see the direction where her little finger was pointing.

Right across the street from where they stood lurking in the shadows sat a squat, square tent that had probably been white once upon a time but was now tinted a slightly lighter shade of the surrounding sepia-colored soil. Just outside the tent was a roughly carved wooden bench that looked a little worse for wear, but upon it… sat the exact man Ashei had been looking for. She grinned goofily, angling her head in Navi's direction.

"Thanks, Navi!" she praised, to which the little blue fairy glowed slightly crimson and hid back underneath her hair as best she could.

"It was nothing," Navi murmured. Ashei chuckled softly, though she still glanced about the area for Gerudo guards. "There are so many of them," she growled, "For a tribe of thieves composed of only women, you'd have to wonder how they multiply _this_ quickly…" Though, if she thought about it, they'd _had_ had seven years to prey on as many of Hyrule's men as they wanted and could go farther than usual to bring in their catch. Perhaps that could account for their numbers, or maybe they'd always had this many.

After all, Auru had never let her come anywhere near the road, never mind the town or the fortress, so how was she to know?

"Oh, to hell with it," she cursed under her breath, and she quickly cut across the main road's traffic and didn't stop until she reached the spot where Mutoh, the master craftsman, sat; his forehead pressed firmly into his hands.

Ashei stood there for a few awkward moments before finally gathering the courage to clear her throat. "Um, excuse me sir," she began gingerly, "but I'm looking for the master craftsman who came here from Kakariko…" The man before her twitched slightly at the sound of her voice, though he didn't sit up to look at her until she mentioned his name. "That would be me, lass. What is it you want?"

She tilted her head in the direction of the space to his right on the bench and flicked her head in a sort of question.

"Oh," the older man gasped, "my manners seem to gone out the window today. Please, sit." Ashei did so, and it was a few moments before she spoke again. "I came here from Kakariko," she whispered, wary of the Gerudo who were within earshot, "with a couple of friends of mine. We've been sent here to find the Spirit Temple that is somewhere deep within the wasteland in order to find something that can help restore the planet's balance."

Mutoh laughed harshly. "Truly, girl? You're mad!"

Ashei angled herself so that she could see his face, and she allowed herself to raise a single incredulous eyebrow in his direction. "Perhaps I might be, but so were you when you came here looking for work. I don't know what it was you expected to find here," she said, gesturing to their surroundings, "but I'm guessing that this wasn't it!"

The older man hummed in agreement, a quiet, deep-throated sound.

"Yes, I suppose you're right," he half spoke, half whispered, "I hadn't expected that things would have gone downhill so fast in only a year… that's how long it took to finish the rest of the buildings in Kakariko before we had nothing left build."

"Surely that wasn't all there was to do," Ashei pressed gently. Mutoh folded his arms and forced a light scoff through his lips. "That's all I know _how_ to do, I'm afraid. Can't even cook for myself." He jerked his head at the tent behind them. "The young man I picked up on my way here offered to help us out in that department, and so we've let him stay with us ever since…" He sighed deeply after that, his eyes trailing up the road into the valley.

"But, I digress. You said you came here with some friends. Where are they, exactly? You seem like a well put-together sort of young woman, so I doubt they would've left you alone for very long."

Ashei glanced back down the path back towards the fountain plaza.

"We came here by horse and cart so we wouldn't be badgered by the local security," she began slowly. "Two of our group went looking for someone to sell this spare bit of iron we've been carrying around for a bit more pocket change, another stayed with our transportation to look after it – since we're only borrowing it for a little while – and I went looking for someone who could watch it while we left to look for the Temple."

Mutoh sat back and stroked his chin, seeming to know where this was going.

"And you were hoping that I would do this?"

Ashei nodded. "The cart's already got cases of horse feed on it so you wouldn't have to worry about feeding Epona, but if you're still on the fence about it I'm sure we could offer you some sort of compensation."

The older man shook his head. "I doubt that would be necessary. Unlike a lot of other stuff around here, water is free, so as long as you've got the food to feed her, it shouldn't be a problem." Ashei blinked, stunned at the man's quick agreement. "Really? You'd do it, just like that?" He nodded.

"You said you were from Kakariko, right? I grew quite fond of the place while I was there, so I might as well do what I can to help out. I might not be able to do carpentry anymore, but I can do simple favors like looking after stuff. You, ah… got a way of contacting those friends of yours? I'd hate to have you go wandering back down into the plaza to find them and back up here again…"

Ashei thought about it for a moment. Perhaps…

"Oh!" she gasped, glancing back towards her neck where she could feel the little fairy pressed against her skin. "Navi!"

Navi perked up and fluttered around to sit on the arm of the bench to Ashei's right, her light dimmed considerably so that you could see the features of her tiny humanoid form most clearly. "Yes, Ashei?" Ashei did her best not to stare in Navi's direction, but she addressed her next words to the fairy nonetheless.

"If you don't mind, could you please find Link and lead him and our friends back to this tent? And, please… do be careful. The local security could probably spot you a mile off if they saw your light."

Navi nodded. "Will do! And don't worry about me, faeries are excellent at staying hidden."

Then she disappeared off into the crowd, darting between people and pets alike down the road back to where her friends were, somewhere back in the plaza. Next to her, the master craftsman blinked in surprise. "A… fairy? You have a fairy with you?" Ashei turned her head back so that she could see his face more fully again. "Yeah, we do. She's of the guardian variety, not one of the healing ones."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guessed that. Most of them are pink, or the occasional purple." He regarded her for a few moments, looking her over as though studying her. "So… you're Ashei?"

Ashei flushed. "Oh, now where are _my_ manners? Sorry about that. And you're Mutoh, right?" He nodded in reply. "Yeah. I used to have my band of carpenters with me, but…" Again, his eyes trailed up the path into the valley. "I don't anymore." Ashei frowned. "Why not? Did something happen?"

Mutoh frowned, and then sighed deeply. He was clearly troubled.

"As you mentioned before, I didn't expect to find what I found here. I _did_ find work, just… not the work I expected to find." Ashei's frowned deepened, as she could feel the furrows of her eyebrows pressing the skin on the bridge of her nose. "What… exactly did you find?"

Mutoh jerked his head in the direction of the path.

"Six years ago, the Gerudo knocked out the bridge that once spanned the valley's edge and the valley proper. No one knows why. But the canyon's gap is still bridged by mine cart tracks that go from one side to the other. There are multiple entrances and multiple levels that tunnel deep within the canyon walls. At first, the Gerudo simply started posting openings for when they needed people to work in the mines, and they even gave the miners good wages, or food, clothing, sometimes if you went into the more dangerous parts you could be given medicine or weapons as well."

"But?" Ashei pressed. "There has to be a catch."

Mutoh chuckled darkly.

"Eventually people started noticing that when posts opened up for more miners, fewer people tended to come back." Ashei hummed quietly. "And so fewer people began volunteering?" Mutoh inclined his head and made a 'so-so' motion with his left hand. "Sort of. Despite this town being one of Hyrule's two centers for trade, there's little room for anything else like there is in Kakariko. So there are always a few people desperate enough to volunteer. But when there aren't enough volunteers…"

"They start conscripting people?" Ashei asked quietly.

Mutoh nodded grimly.

"And is that what happened to your crew?" He snorted indignantly.

"I wish! At least even the conscripted ones come back every night! My crewmen are all young lads you see, hardly have a mature bone in their body, Ichiro especially. No, my boys snuck off into the mines early this morning before dawn to see if they could sneak into the Fortress and somehow join the Gerudo. I tried explaining to them exactly _why_ the Gerudo are a group of all women thieves, but… like I said, not very mature, my boys."

Beginning to somewhat sympathize with Mutoh's plight, Ashei massaged her forehead with the fingers of her left hand.

"Ah… I see."

Mutoh chuckled. "So that is why it is currently just me and our cook, Quill. But I hear that the Gerudo wait at least a day or so before they kill their prisoners, so I can only hope that they aren't dead… yet." Ashei raised a quizzical eyebrow in his direction. "What are you asking?" she said after a few moments of silence. Mutoh was about to respond, but just then she saw Link guiding the cart up the path, Anakin and Obi-Wan sitting in the back behind him. A light that she assumed was Navi glinted slightly beneath his dusty blond hair.

"Ah, so you made it," she greeted them as Link brought the cart next to where they sat. "Yeah," Link replied, and she noticed that now he wore a light copper colored tunic underneath his dark brown traveling cloak, and she wondered exactly how he'd found a place to change into the garments.

"So you're the fellows accompanying this young lady here?" Mutoh asked them. All three of her companions nodded. "Well, why don't you put the horse and cart next to the tent here," he gestured to a spot between his tent and the nearest building that was _just_ wide enough, "and I'll go inside and have Quill start cooking up some soup. The young lady says you came all the way from Kakariko in only a day – that's bound to work up an appetite. Just come in once you're ready."

Once he disappeared into the tent, the three of them jumped off the cart and started guiding it into the spot that Mutoh had showed them. Once they were done, Link pointed to the tent and glanced in Ashei's direction.

"I… know him. Or at least I've seen him before. Isn't he that master carpenter from Kakariko?"

Ashei nodded, and he replied in kind by asking her how the man had ended up in a place like this. Her expression hardened a little and she turned slightly to glance up the path that ran up into the valley. "That's something you'll have to ask him," she said after a moment, "Come on, we've got time." And then she ducked into the tent after the carpenter.

So that was what they discussed for another half hour while the soup cooked, while Ashei remained mostly silent as her companions and Mutoh exchanged names, stories, and so on, all of them sitting around the pot in the center of the tent, sleeping bundles scattered all about.

And then there was Quill.

While Mutoh and the others were talking, Ashei helped him prepare the meal in whatever ways she could, and they talked quietly amongst themselves. Ashei learned that he was older than her, but not by much. At about twenty-one, Quill still had that youthful look about him, and she doubted that the poor young man could properly stand upright even with the tent fixed as high as it would go, since he was so tall and thin.

His dark eyes lit up while he cooked, as he clearly enjoyed doing it. He would have done it for a living, he said, if he hadn't been left parentless during the raids on the vineyards seven years ago. After that, he told her he had wandered the fields for about a year with only a pack containing a hunting knife, a canteen for carrying water, two changes of clothes and some herbs and spices used for preserving and seasoning meat. Even being as crafty and careful as possible, he'd still been half-starved when Mutoh and his group of carpenters found him on their way to the town at the edge of the valley.

"Mutoh took me in once he learned I could cook," he told her with a wry smile as he attempted to push back a few wayward strands of his feathery dark brown hair. She could see that it had once been a lighter color, as it was almost a honey-brown blond at the tips. "And so overnight I became part of the group." His shrug as he tossed in some tangy spice Ashei couldn't identify looked almost adorable, but he'd seemed to realize she wasn't interested and had stopped trying to flirt with her about five minutes into their conversation.

After they had settled into the town, Quill had caught one of the white-tailed kites that lived in the area and befriended it, taught it to catch mice and other rodents without making such a mess of its kills. "Voles are actually very tasty when you season them right," he had idly commented after she'd asked about how tasty rodents could be.

"And if you catch enough of them, they're surprisingly very filling."

Eventually their conversations dimmed down after Quill had announced that the soup was ready, and the six of them enjoyed their meal in silence. After everyone was done, Quill collected everyone's bowl and crawled over to a large basin of water to wash the dishes as the four travelers continued to talk with Mutoh.

"So the lady tells me that you're looking for some kind of Temple in the Wasteland past the Fortress?" Mutoh asked, pressing one hand on the ground behind him to counterbalance the hand his hand lying over one knee.

Link, who seemed to be the one Mutoh had been addressing, nodded.

"We are…" he said slowly, "so I suppose that means we'll need to attempt to sneak in using the mine carts like your crewmen tried to do." Mutoh sighed, his bushy white eyebrows furrowing.

"Tried being the operative word," he muttered. Then his eyes flickered across their group. "But… if you can spare any time to look for them at least… I would be grateful. I know some of their parents back in Kakariko… and I would like to go back one day without having to tell their mothers that their sons died because they did something stupid. No mother wants to hear that."

Obi-Wan nodded shortly. "I suppose it couldn't hurt to look into it. But we can't make any promises."

Mutoh sat up straighter and folded his arms across his chest.

"Then you'll want to leave as soon as the sun fully sets. Shouldn't be long now, I think." He looked in Quill's direction and called the young man's name to get his attention. "Quill! If you don't mind showing them where the mine shaft entries are…"

Quill nodded sharply.

"No, I don't mind. I should probably take Komali with me just in case we need a distraction, then." He glanced at the little kite that sat sleeping on the small perch Mutoh had made for it once Quill had befriended the bird.

"Then it's settled?" asked Anakin quietly. Ashei nodded. "We leave once the sun sets."

Mutoh was right that it wouldn't take long for the sun to set completely. It was far less than half an hour until the sky turned black as pitch with only the millions of stars above and a waxing moon to light the darkness. They put out the fire and turned off all electrical lanterns inside the tent except for one so that no one would notice five people sneaking up the empty path in the darkness. Being so far from the center plaza, there were fewer strands of electrical lanterns about, so it was easy to blend into the shadows.

Despite Quill's thoughts that there might be guards that needed distracting at the mine entrances, there didn't seem to be any.

In the dim light of the moon, the group could make out five entrances on the ground, all of which used only ladders as the method of descending into the mines, and one higher up on a ledge that operated using a lift.

"I wouldn't recommend that one," Quill said when Anakin suggested they use it. "There aren't likely to be any guards at the bottom of the ladder entrances, but there might be some on the entrances connected to the lift. So, unless you're good at silencing the guards before they sound the alarm, I'd take any of the others instead."

They could also hear the roaring thunder of the waterfall that had likely been the driving force responsible for the creation of the canyon that separated the edge of the valley and the valley proper.

"It's a pity we can't even admire it," muttered Obi-Wan. "Perhaps went we get back…" Anakin snorted.

"You mean _if_ we get back, Master." Obi-Wan chuckled grimly.

"Yes, thanks for the reminder Anakin."

Quill hummed quietly. "I would also suggest splitting up at some point, since I hear the carts only take two at a time. There are bigger ones, but only the Gerudo take them, so I don't know where they're located. Oh, and if there isn't a cart present on a level, don't pull the lever to summon one. They're apparently loud as hell when nothing is weighing them down, and while I don't know _much_ about sneaking into places, I would think that being as quiet as possible would be an imperative."

Link's cut laugh followed shortly after.

"Thanks for the information, Quill. I think we can take it from here." Quill nodded. "You're welcome, and… good luck."

After that he bowed shortly to each of them and dashed back into the shadows toward the relative safety of the town. "Well…" Ashei whispered as they neared the center shaft, "this is it." They had quickly drawn straws to see who would go first, and Ashei had been the unlucky winner. Link had volunteered to go after her, followed by Anakin and finally Obi-Wan at the rear.

She got on her hands and knees and slowly climbed down the ladder until her head was just above the opening.

"I would recommend," she began, a wry, tentative smile teasing at the edges of her lips, "that if you have any deities on call, praying to them might be something you should be doing right about now." She chuckled once, briefly, and then after letting out a slow breath of air, she finally began descending further down the ladder. Once she was out of sight, the others followed in the order they'd decided upon.

It didn't take very long for the light of the moon to disappear, immersing them and the mineshaft in complete and total darkness.

* * *

><p>So… we're <em>close<em> to the desert? Eh… whatever.

Anyway, inspiration for the town comes from the manga version of Ocarina of Time. In Chapter Two of the second volume, you see Link in a traveling cloak of some kind in a kind of desert city. I guess if you made the area just before you enter the valley a mile or so bigger in radius, then that's where my town would be, at least in terms of general location.

Other than that, feel free to ask questions in a review if you're not sure about certain characters, concepts, or ideas that I've introduced. Well, I'm off to do some research about fusion reactors and various types of Star Wars spacecraft.

(Oh, and I should know more about my last job interview this Tuesday. Wish me luck!)

- Hikari no Vikki


	25. Gerudo Mining Complex

Chapter Twenty-Five: Gerudo Mining Complex

Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force

Chapter: 25

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: Would I be writing this if I owned these franchises? Well, even if I were, I'd be busy making it a reality instead of leaving it here to gather cyber dust on a data sever somewhere. (Because really, what else is it doing?)

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

No luck on the job… wish me luck while I continue searching, I guess.

As for progress? We're getting there.

(Been drawing a bunch of junk to get my mind off the job bust. Listening to Harry Potter audiobooks… should have some time before the next one is available for download so now I'm here, writing this.)

Don't really know where we're going to end up, but hey… here we go! :D

* * *

><p>It felt like they were in the dark for a very long time. The desert nights were cold, and this left Ashei and the rest of them shivering in the ladder shaft while they climbed deep into the dark. The earth around them smelled of sweat and tasted heavily of tangy metal, bits of grime and dirt worming its way into their teeth and hair.<p>

The metal ladder was even colder under their hands, and eventually they could hardly feel their limbs as most of the heat had left them after a couple minutes.

"Ashei?" Link whispered when he realized that he couldn't feel his feet even though he knew that they'd been wrapped securely within a thick pair of socks and his boots were quite snugly fit around his calves. She grunted in response, trying to lick her lips so that she could coax them into moving and forming proper words.

"Can you see anything?" he asked after he'd taken her grunt for an admission of acknowledgement. She moved her head in what she hoped was the direction further down, and she was surprised to see that she could.

"Actually…" she managed to reply breathlessly, "I can. I see the first docking point just down below. Hold on for just a few more moments."

Somewhere above her, she could hear Anakin groan in irritation.

"Yeah, easy for you to say, you'll be the first to reach it!" And shortly following that: "Anakin, be polite. Though, I must admit you are right; but still that's no excuse for rudeness…" That one was Obi-Wan. And then Anakin again: "Sorry, Master."

Just as Link's resulting chuckles reached her ears, Ashei was also reaching the entrance to the first docking point. It was just large and wide enough that a fully-grown adult of about Link's size could pass through, with a slightly rounded edge at the top of the threshold. Looking behind her across her shoulder, she could also see that there was – thankfully – a mine cart waiting parked on the edge of the tracks, and the dim light of the moon filled the chamber that contained it.

"There's a cart in this one," she called up to them, "I suppose that Link and I will take it." Carefully she bridged the gap and used the well-placed railing on the sides of the door to pull her through. Steadying herself and stretching out her stiff muscles, she looked around, noticing that there were all sorts of electronic maps and charts all along the south wall, since the north one was occupied by the lever that Quill had mentioned would summon a cart if there wasn't one available.

She walked just a bit closer to study them as Link was sliding into the room after her. The largest of the maps seemed to be a complete schematic of the whole layout: with both sides of the canyon's blueprints displayed as a three-dimensional on a two-dimensional space.

By that point Anakin had passed the doorway but she could just see the back of Obi-Wan's head as he was descending.

"Obi-Wan," she called in a hushed whisper, "wait!" He paused, glancing back around. "Yes, Ashei?" She turned back to the digital schematic, combing the image quickly. "There are a total of seven levels on either side of the canyon, but only the far northern sections have levels six and seven. There seems to be some kind of machine in the northern section along with some holding areas on the top level that appear to be classified…"

She muttered something under her breath as she fiddled with the image upon discovering that it could be manipulated by touch. Obi-Wan whispered for Anakin to wait a moment so that he could catch Ashei's next words.

"If you would check those out for me while looking for a way back to the surface on the other side, that would be nice. There seem to be holding cells on the south side too, but they're much smaller and are actually labeled 'Correctional Facilities' or some such. I think, if Mutoh's men are still alive somewhere then that's where they'll be. Link and I will keep an eye out while we look for our own way back to the surface. Got all that?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yeah, I think so. I'm a little curious about that machine, and something labeled as classified is never good… do be careful, you two."

"You as well," Link replied.

After a few moments, Anakin and Obi-Wan were properly out of sight, having disappeared back into the darkness of the dim, chilly ladder shaft.

Link glanced over at the mine cart, a thin trapezoidal box made of several thin sheets of shiny metal with two seats built in and set upon an iron base welded firmly to two sets of axles on the tracks. Strange swirling symbols glowed on the metal facing the outside, and Ashei guessed that it was some form of the written Gerudo language. She noticed Link giving it a skeptical once over and walked forward, running her hands over the sides.

"Don't worry," she told him, "these are sheets of atomically bonded titanium." She knelt, her fingers trailing the glowing markings in the metal, magic sparking beneath her hands wherever they touched. It reminded her of the way the words on the wall of the Shadow Temple's entrance had responded to her.

"Looks like they've been reinforced with strings of brightsteel, too. It's a kind of precious magical gemstone that makes any other metal its melted or decorated with nearly unbreakable." She stood, nodding as if in approval.

"I don't know what they're doing here," she said quietly after a few more moments, "but they're not fooling around. This is serious business, and from what Mutoh told us, it's been going on for a while." She looked up and over again at Link. "Well, we'd better get going. And I wouldn't worry about the height: the cart looks to be programmed to follow the electrical pulses along the tracks, and I saw that there was plenty of scaffolding holding the tracks in place." She gestured with one hand towards the edge of the moonlit exit.

Finally, Link seemed to stuff his trepidation somewhere as dark and deep as the shaft behind them and climbed into the cart with Ashei. There was no visible method of propulsion, but once the two of them were inside the lights on the cart glowed all at once and it began to move forward on its own, following the electrical currents along the metal tracks towards the other side.

"You know," Link muttered idly as they were approaching the other side of the canyon, "you'd think that after everything I've done, things like heights wouldn't bother me much anymore…"

Ashei scoffed lightly, though Link could tell she was simply amused by her relaxed expression.

"Auru… my father… well, he told me once that being courageous didn't necessarily mean that you were unafraid. It just meant that you were doing what needed to be done… in _spite _of your fear."

She smiled at him, and the light of the moon caught her eyes for a moment just before they were plunged into half darkness again, turning them into two orbs of sparkling silver. He nodded just as they were passing back into the canyon walls and the cart slowed to a stop at the end of the line.

The two of them climbed out again and Ashei quickly made for the maps on the south side of the wall so that she could study them a bit closer. Link stood next to her on her left, checking another map that displayed the railway paths that were _inside_ the underground complex. Most of the maps glowed a soft electric blue with most of the writing colored white or black depending on the value of the backdrop.

Ashei reached up and tapped a section of the complex that was labeled 'Correctional Facilities', and then tapped at the spot that the map proclaimed to be their current location.

"Computer, please give the quickest route," she said experimentally, not really expecting anything to happen. However, the map responded, and a glowing red path began to draw itself from their location to the other part of the complex she had tapped on.

Blinking in surprise, she also noticed a black button on the far right near the corner that read in bold white letters: 'DISPLAY LIFE SIGNS.' Frowning, she tapped it, and the color changed from black with white letters to cherry red with black letters and now read 'HIDE LIFE SIGNS' instead. Immediately white spots began to pop up all over the map of the complex, and Link glanced over the map with increasing interest.

"Look there," he said, pointing to a cluster of the other white dots strewn throughout the complex. They all seemed to be moving back and forth in a set pattern, like a patrol. "Those must be the Gerudo guards inside the mine complex." Ashei nodded, and pointed to four stationary points set at four separate locations in the 'Correctional Facilities.'

"And those must be Mutoh's men. Looks like they're all still on this same floor, but…" She tapped the 'Correctional Facilities' again and spoke in a clear voice, "Computer, show exit routes."

Several paths, each one a different color, branched out to complete the task the computer had been given. Ashei's brow furrowed slightly in worry. "There are a total of three exits from the facilities that Mutoh's men are being held in, and one of those is the main entrance." Carefully, without tapping the screen, she pointed to the most heavily guarded spot near the area.

"The western exit is the one we would need to find a way back to the surface, and the eastern exit would be the best for the carpenters to use…" She trailed off again, and slowly tapped the spot where they were currently standing. Once more she asked the computer to display the fastest way back to the surface (other than the way they'd come) and it appeared to be a much faster and safer alternative than the way through the facilities where Mutoh's men were being held. Link glanced in Ashei's direction.

"So… what do you want to do?"

Ashei met his gaze with some measure of exasperation.

"I was hoping you would know. I mean, I get that it's imperative we find the Temple, free the last Sage and slay the Evil King as quickly as possible, but…" she turned back to the map to stare, frustrated, at the 'Correctional Facilities' section of the screen. Sighing deeply she continued, in a much softer voice, "I'd rather not leave them there to die. Because, you know they will… die, I mean, if we leave them there. Monsters are one thing, but people?" Ashei shook her head. "I just… I couldn't do it."

Link glanced up at the map, studying the path to the facility and mentally redrawing the map in his head that showed where each of the carpenters was being held.

"Well then," he replied softly, "let's not." She turned to Link to see him wink at her and a soft smile teased his lips gently upwards.

"What?" she asked, bewildered. Link shrugged. "Let's _not _let them die. I'd rather not either, to be honest, and while I don't know how hard it would be to sneak past these Gerudo, at least we'd be inside the facilities ourselves if we got caught." Ashei frowned.

"That's one way of thinking about it… anyway, as for going undetected, I'm sure we could charm our arrows or your Longshot so that the tips are blunted and we could knock them out pretty easily. If worst comes to worst, I'm not about to go into captivity quietly, now." Link chuckled. "Yeah, that'd be just like you to resist it right up until you couldn't."

He glanced over the map again, but he frowned when he saw two white dots four levels below theirs.

"Hmm. Looks like Anakin and Obi-Wan couldn't find any other way across except through the fifth level…" Ashei shrugged. "It'll give Obi-Wan a chance to check out whatever that machine is if he really wants to… well, we should go." She tapped the life signs button again and the screen was cleared of them at once.

"Computer, return to default display settings."

And then the screen no longer displayed either the exit routes or the quickest route to their destination. "Come on," she said to Link, and the two of them exited the docking point and entered the Gerudo Mining Complex.

.oOo.

After Obi-Wan and Anakin had finally made it over to the other side, they too had decided to check out the map in the western docking point's cart holding cell. Obi-Wan was checking out routes to the bottom levels and from the bottom levels to the top, while Anakin was observing the smaller lists and holo-charts off to the side.

He finally came to a chart that listed the things the mine collected and for what purpose they were being used, and he found something that struck him as, well… odd.

"Master?" Anakin hissed in a soft whisper. Obi-Wan glanced over to his right, where Anakin was standing.

"Yes, Anakin?"

Anakin frowned, pointing to but not tapping the list he'd spotted on the holo-board. "This compound here… heavy water? I've seen it before, but I don't remember where. And why is its purpose listed as classified? All of the minerals and metals that are being mined have specific purposes listed except this one. Why?"

Obi-Wan's gaze shifted from the map of the complex until it came to rest on the item that had piqued his padawan's interest. His eyes narrowed.

"Hmm. Heavy water is also known as deuterium oxide. Deuterium is a kind of isotope of hydrogen that, instead of having a single electron, has a proton and a neutron, making it 'heavier' than normal hydrogen." Anakin nodded. "And thus the reason why it is called 'heavy' water?"

Obi-Wan hummed in agreement. "Yes, that's why. But heavy water isn't supposed to be a natural resource, though perhaps…"

"Perhaps it is here?" Anakin finished hesitantly. Obi-Wan shrugged.

"That might be the case. I remember hearing about a planet that mined for heavy water once in my youth. They mined it because their options for space travel were very limited at the time, and heavy water was used in certain kinds of reactors to produce a radioactive isotope of hydrogen called tritium. These elements were then thrown into a basic fusion reactor that could power small spacecraft out of the atmosphere and into the vacuum of space."

"So that's where I've seen it before," Anakin mumbled, "fusion reactors…"

Suddenly Obi-Wan turned back to the map, staring intently at the paths the computer had drawn for him and the white dots that represented the signs of any living creature in the complex.

"If that is what they're trying to do, I'd like to be certain about it." Obi-Wan said quietly, his eyes flickering to the elevator shaft that was the only way down to the sixth level.

"Looks like we'll have to brave the lift after all."

Anakin nodded. "But what about the guards? Are we going to try to sneak past them, or…?" He trailed off, waiting for his master to answer the rest of his unspoken question. Obi-Wan folded his arms and sighed. "That is the plan, yes. But if we are unable to do that, then we'll have to set our blasters to stun and do it that way." He reached up a hand to massage his temple in the hopes of relieving some of the pressure.

"I'd rather not go about it that way, but if we must, we must."

He stood up straighter, spoke the command to return the display settings to default, and turned around to face the docking point's exit. Jerking his head in that direction, Anakin nodded silently in reply and the two of them headed out of the room and into the maze of dimly lit tunnels, lifts, and Gerudo guards.

.oOo.

It felt like the two of them had spent an eternity padding softly through the shadows, ducking behind crates of stones and minerals and even using the occasional mine cart to escape the gaze of the Gerudo guards. (Obi-Wan was less keen on using the mine carts to hide in, mostly since doing so required bouts of speed and stamina that he just couldn't replicate every other minute like Anakin could. )

But after a few breaks to catch their breaths, one or two close calls, and at least one time where they had to use force to knock out a guard, they had finally made it to the lift they were looking for.

"Are you sure this is the one?" Anakin hissed, jogging as softly as he possibly could as he was coming back from wherever he'd hidden the guard's body.

Obi-Wan nodded firmly, his gaze flicking to a plaque tacked beside the door.

"Level Five, Reactor Lift. I should think so. Mostly because the only direction it goes is, eh… down."

Anakin blinked, noticing the arrow-shaped button underneath a yellow sign with a striped black border that read, 'AUTHORIZED PERSONEL ONLY'.

"Ah. Right. Well, shall we?"

Obi-Wan turned back to the closed lift and pressed the button, and the two of them waited with baited breath as the compartment inside made its way up to them. Anakin was so tense when the doors opened that his hand jerked reflexively towards his lightsaber, but before Obi-Wan had time to stop him, Anakin had managed to do it on his own.

"No life signs," he managed to gasp through an anxious breath when Obi-Wan gave him an odd look, "Couldn't sense any through the Force." Obi-Wan turned back to the elevator, which was empty as Anakin had said it would be, and the two of them shuffled inside. Once the doors had closed and a small electric light flickered to life above them, Obi-Wan pressed the second of the three circular buttons, this one being labeled with the number six.

"You get better at that every day," Obi-Wan remarked as he leaned against one side of the lift. Anakin shrugged. "And it wasn't even my idea. It just… sort of came to me, like when I knew that icicle was going to fall in the Ice Cavern." He paused, frowning. "Why does it feel like that was a long time ago? It's been what… a few days?"

"It's the Force looking out for you, I suppose," Obi-Wan replied quietly.

"As for the other thing… we've done a lot in those few days. With little time in between to stop and think about things, it does feel like what happened four days ago seems more like four weeks, or four years."

Anakin nodded, seeming to accept his master's explanation.

"I wonder how we're supposed to know what to look for," Anakin mused as the lift finally began to slow to a stop. "I mean, it's not like either of us knows what a heavy water reactor looks like…" He glanced over at Obi-Wan.

"Do you?" he asked, as if the thought had just occurred to him. "Know what one looks like?"

Obi-Wan didn't have time to answer him, because just then the doors of the lift opened up to a balcony that ran around the length of what appeared to be a large room about two stories high. Rectangular in shape, a few metal catwalks joined either of the opposite sides of the room together, seemingly held in place with only a few screws and several thick wires attached to the ceiling.

Below them, bathed in the red-orange glow of the soft lights attached to the bottoms of the catwalks, was a giant metal cylinder and a smaller, rectangular chamber about a quarter of the height of the cylinder that was made of a similar material. A large, box-shaped tube connected the two objects and several holes in the side of the large cylinder were emitting dense clouds of smoke and steam.

The two Jedi exited the lift and approached the railing bolted to the balcony so that they could get a better look at the rest of the room.

"I would guess that _this_ is what a heavy reactor looks like," Obi-Wan muttered quietly. Anakin scanned the floor, which, while absent of guards and scientists, appeared to be littered with large barrels labeled with words like processed heavy water, tritium, and other fusion materials. Tables with lab equipment were placed in a line close to the wall just below them, and one in particular managed to catch his eye.

"Master? Look at that table down there. Those are blueprints, aren't they?"

Obi-Wan's gaze shifted to where Anakin was pointed, and again his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "That they are, Padawan." He looked back towards his right where a black metal staircase led from the sixth level down to the seventh.

"Is it just me, Master," Anakin began again as they descended the stairs, "or does the air in here kind of… tingle? And not in a good way."

Obi-Wan hummed in acknowledgement. "No, it's not just you. I told you, tritium is a _radioactive_ isotope. In small quantities it wouldn't normally affect people, but because these Gerudo are producing it in such larger amounts…" He sighed, wiping a bit of sweat that had begun to pool on his brow. "The radiation is affecting our perceptions of heat and cold, even if only slightly."

Glancing up, he murmured to no one in particular, "Probably why they've got so many fans up there. But there's no one on shift here, so they aren't in operation right now."

He didn't mention it to Anakin, but Obi-Wan could also tell that the air tasted ever so slightly of the kind of processed air that was usually filtered through spacecraft ventilation systems. That… and, for some reason, plastic. Though he couldn't guess at why it would taste like plastic of all things.

By now they were approaching the table that Anakin had pointed out from the sixth floor balcony, and as Obi-Wan was the first to reach it, he began rummaging through the various papers to get a few glimpses at what exactly the Gerudo were doing here.

Meanwhile, Anakin slid around the other side and picked up one of the portable holographic charts, flipping through its settings.

"Well," Obi-Wan muttered dully, "as far as I can see, these are just blueprints for the various machines behind us. Look here, this is the reactor building with instructions on how to repair the gravity pool, and the fuel building and detailed notes on keeping the fuel transfer's radiation levels at the safest capacity…" He let the blueprint he was holding fall back against the table.

"It's all in the common tongue, isn't it?" Anakin added, his eyes flicking over to the notes, hands still clasping the holo-chart. Obi-Wan nodded. "Had to be. This planet has long since had the ability to use and produce fuel for spacecraft, but we had assumed that the _entire_ planet had the capability."

"And now it's becoming clear that wasn't the case," Anakin mused idly.

Obi-Wan straightened and took a step back from the table and its contents, running a hand through his hair. "So it seems. But if these people didn't have access to such materials beforehand–"

"They probably at least knew about them," Anakin interjected. "Wasn't this Ganondorf originally the head of the peacekeeping envoy between the Hylian and Gerudo people?" Slowly, Obi-Wan nodded. "So Ashei tells us…" Anakin nodded sharply in return. "Well it would certainly tick me off if I was part of a culture that didn't have a way to access other planets, but the culture I was as war with _did_." A short, barking laugh escaped Obi-Wan.

"So you're saying that what may have started out as an actual effort to make peace might have turned into an illusion just to get at the Hylian spacecraft?"

Anakin shrugged, still flipping through the holo-chart. "Maybe. It's entirely possible." But Obi-Wan seemed to disagree. "Surely this Ganondorf knew he could ask that the Hylians share their spaceflight technology?" He stared in Anakin's direction, but not really looking at him.

"That requires some measure of forgiveness, Master. And I have a feeling that these people don't exactly have it in spades. People of oppression an' all that."

Obi-Wan sighed deeply, pressing his right hand against his face.

"So what are you suggesting, Padawan? That they wanted to destroy what the Hylians had and build their own from what was left?" He let the hand that was covering his face fall to his side before meeting Anakin's gaze, instantly freezing when he saw exactly how serious Anakin's expression had become.

"Yes, Master. That's exactly what I'm saying."

And then Obi-Wan's gaze flickered to the holo-chart that Anakin was holding out for him to see. Behind the picture that took up about a quarter of the screen was yet another map of the complex, only none of the areas on this one were labeled classified. He took another look at the image that was displayed.

"Is that…?" Obi-Wan said slowly. Anakin turned it back around to face him and he frowned slightly. "I think so. But I'd like to have a look at those holding cells on the first floor." He tapped an empty part of the map on the screen and the image disappeared, and when he pressed a button on the bottom of the canister, the holo-chart disappeared as well.

"And now we have a map to lead the way," said Anakin, flashing his Master one of his best boyish grins. "Right," Obi-Wan replied, nodding. "Let's go before anyone discovers we've been here."

So they climbed the stairs and entered a different lift on the western side of the balcony and left the reactor chamber behind them.

.oOo.

"Hey, you! Look over here, inside the cell!"

Ashei paused, freezing instantly when the hissing voice reached her ears. She and Link had somehow made it into the correctional facilities without much incident, however that fact alone was making Ashei _very_ nervous. She was alone in a strange place after all, since she and Link had agreed to split up to look for the carpenters.

The room she had been in the process of leaving was very dark, being lit only by a small florescent installation on the ceiling and a map like the one they had seen at the docking point. Several boxes were stacked at various heights along one wall and others littered the floor, with the other side of the room containing a holding cell with what appeared to be only darkness.

However, being cautiously optimistic, Ashei decided to turn around very slowly and comb the area with her eyes while she continued to question the voice until she could determine whom (or what) exactly she was talking to.

"I see nothing in the cell… mind coming closer to the light?" she prodded gently. And, to her amazement, the owner of the voice complied.

From within the shadows in the holding cell emerged a burly looking young man with wild curly brown hair wearing little except for some shoes, leg wraps, a pair of dusty red pants and a blue vest similar to the jacket that their leader, Mutoh, was always wearing.

"I have no idea where you come from," he whispered as Ashei crept closer, "but you must have a lot of guts to make it past all the guards around here!" She frowned at the young man in slight distaste, much as she tried to hide it.

"Guts, huh? I bet you thought it was something of a gutsy move to try and join the Gerudo, did you? I thought you would've had a bit more brains…"

The carpenter shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose. But, honest – I've seen the error of my ways… too late though, it seems." Ashei shook her head. "Your leader sent us to find you. I can get you out of here." His eyes, both of which she noticed were a rich brown color, gleamed hopefully. "Do you mean it?" Folding her arms across her chest, Ashei nodded. "Of course I do." The carpenter glanced around shiftily before scooting even closer to the bars.

"Then you should know that all of my fellow carpenters are imprisoned somewhere in here. If you can get us out of here, we'll repay the favor somehow! But be careful! There's sure to be Gerudo guards somewhere around here... woo! Watch out!"

Ashei's senses had gone on full blast even before the carpenter had managed to warn her. Immediately she rolled off to one side, hearing a loud yelp and the clang of metal on metal. She reached for her sword, and as she drew it, sparks of light magic scattered across the floor. The Gerudo woman jumped back, hissing something in the Gerudo language.

Without another word, Ashei advanced, and their blades clashed, but the two were of equal strength. She glanced at the boxes; what was in them? Through the power of the Force, she blew the top of the one nearest to the Gerudo. It hit her against her head and during that moment of stunned silence, Ashei moved in so that she could deal as much non-lethal damage as possible while still getting a good look at the contents of the crate.

Ashei dealt the Gerudo woman a long cut to her side, a crippling wound but nothing fatal as she'd intended. Slipping between the Gerudo and the crate, Ashei glimpsed a few of the things in the crate: several metal canisters all labeled 'plasma bolt fuel.'

Fuel for a fighting spacecraft? Ashei whirled around just as the Gerudo was coming back around. That question would have to wait.

However the Gerudo did not immediately attack this time. There seemed to be some manner of recognition, and Ashei was able to make out something that sounded an awful lot like, "A woman?" in a surprised and very heavily accented common tongue just before the Gerudo raised one of her long curved blades in their signature lunge.

Ashei had heard of this move before. It was fast and deadly if you allowed yourself to succumb to it; however the Force was on her side and allowed her to brace her feet and block the attack at just the right moment, more sparks flying between them across the stones. Ashei pressed against the Gerudo blade and the woman jumped back, cursing under her breath before she jumped up into the darkness up above and the alert in the back of Ashei's mind ceased to little more than a faint buzzing.

She turned to look at the carpenter. "I would suggest that we should get around to letting you out now… huh?" Something sparkling and shiny had caught her attention. Kneeling down, she picked it up, only to find herself fingering a small silver key between her thumb and forefinger.

"She must have dropped this… hmm."

Ashei stood up, walked over to the door of the cell and fitted the key in the lock. Taking a quick breath, she turned it to the left and heard the lock click open. She chuckled quietly. "Well, that's convenient."

"Does it matter?" asked the carpenter as he exited his cell. Ashei shrugged, walking over to the map to check which exit the man needed to use. "Probably not," she answered quietly, "but the Gerudo aren't known for their carelessness."

The man nodded slowly. "Well… I'm Ichiro, the carpenter. My friends and I were really interested in joining their all-female group, but they locked us up like this just because we're men!" Ashei glanced back at him, her eyes rolling slightly. "Oh really?" she remarked sarcastically, to which Ichiro responded by holding up his hands defensively.

"Hey, I know that _now_!" he replied indignantly, but after a while he sighed and finally added, "I really can't thank you enough."

Ashei told the computer to return the display settings to default and pointed out the direction the carpenter should take to get back to the docking points. "Just go down as far as you can and when you get to Storage Room 1B take a left and then another right at the intersection. Got that?"

He nodded. "Yeah, thanks!"

"And tell Mutoh thanks when you see him again!" she called back. "I might also apologize if you can find it in yourself to do so!" She wasn't able to make out his response after that, since he was too far down the corridor.

Meanwhile, Link had just finished freeing yet another carpenter, Jiro.

He'd freed Sabooro first, and while he had been somewhat eccentric for a young man, he'd been… civil. And straight. Link flushed at the thought of the last carpenter, Jiro, calling him a 'cute boy.' If he weren't so embarrassed at the thought of the advance, he might've been at least a little offended at being called a boy. After all, he had accepted his role as an adult now, so being called a boy – particularly a cute one – was slightly degrading.

Not that he'd say that aloud.

But it wasn't much longer after that he heard the sound of footsteps coming down a nearby hall, and he pressed himself up against the wall while his senses combed the darkness for anything recognizable.

"Ashei?" he asked when he sensed a magical signature he recognized.

"Link?" came the reply.

Moments later a form emerged out of the darkness and into the light of the electric torch mounted on the wall in the middle of the 'T' intersection. It was indeed Ashei, though she was slightly disheveled and splinters of wood were stuck in her hair.

"What… happened to you?" he asked, noting her tired expression.

"Gerudo guard ambushed me while I was trying to free one of the carpenters. She ran off though, once she knew I had the advantage… not sure why. It could be because I'm a woman? I don't know…" Link frowned. "I've been ambushed too. Twice. Both times I was trying to free one of the carpenters."

"Looks like you succeeded though," she muttered, looking him over with mildly amused appraisal. "So that means we've freed three of the four carpenters, correct?" Link nodded, and pointed down the hallway he'd been following before he heard her footsteps. "And the last one is down this way."

"I know," she replied. "I don't see why we shouldn't stick together."

"All right, let's go," Link whispered. And the two of them proceeded down the hallway in silence until they reached yet another of the holding cells. The room was the same as the room Ashei had encountered: spacious, dimly lit, boxes stacked against the side… however this room didn't have any boxes scattered across the floor, though the cell was still pitch black except for about six inches past the bars.

"Hello?" Ashei whispered, "Is anyone there?"

Someone groaned from within the darkness of the cell, until eventually movement could be heard. The vague outline of a young man with even more wildly curly hair and irises so dark they were almost black.

"Did you come here to save me?" he asked quietly.

"We did, yes." Link replied in kind. "Mutoh sent us. Or, well… he asked us if we could spare some time looking for you. We're sort of supposed to be doing something else." The carpenter raised a single eyebrow but said nothing. Ashei noticed that this one wore a similar get-up as Ichiro had, only his pants were green.

"You should be careful," he finally said as they were approaching the bars of the cell. "There are Gerudo nearby. I heard them sometimes in the night…"

Suddenly a panicked expression crossed his face and he yelled, "Look out!"

Ashei had ducked and rolled off to the side again as the buzzing in her head became a full-fledged warning blaring in her temples. It hurt, but enough to put her on the highest of alerts, and Link was much the same, biting his lip as the warning pulsed against his senses.

This time there were two Gerudo women, working together in perfect sync. Ashei caught Link's gaze from across the room and the two of them formed a plan without even having to say a word. They had worked together before using the Force, and they would do it now. Immediately Ashei lunged with the white sword, sparks of light magic running across its length while Link spun the Master Sword in a quick, blinding arc to stun the Gerudo facing him.

Ashei pushed the Gerudo she clashed with against the other, and she backed up, using the Gerudo as a springboard to jump to the other side and join Link to aid in his assault.

Now they were together, however the Gerudo had caught on to this and suddenly one of them whistled and more Gerudo materialized from out of nowhere. Ashei had her back to Link's feeling his warmth and comforting presence through her clothing as Link had his Hylian Shield strapped to his right arm. But no matter how well their connection was, how strong they were as a team… could they take on this many?

She glanced back, managing to catch Link's eye once more.

Could they do this, Ashei wanted to ask. Link nodded. Even if they couldn't, they would sure as hell at least try.

The Gerudo inched closer, holding their blades aloft. Suddenly, they began to charge up their deadly lunge all at once, and Ashei could feel her stomach drop through the four floors below them and bury itself into the earth. They probably _could_ take on this many, but there was no way to avoid this, not with Gerudo preparing to execute them on every side!

Link could feel Ashei's panic through the air around them. It was sort of contagious; he'd never felt so afraid until now, not even when he'd faced Gohma down in the depths of the Great Deku Tree.

But suddenly an idea occurred to him.

'_Ashei_,' he whispered, grasping her hand and holding it tight, '_fill your sword with light, and then release it upon them when I tell you.'_

'_What? How?'_ Her voice in his head was much calmer than he thought.

'_Think of it like a spinning slash, but the two of us will perform it, instead of just one of us.'_

Suddenly Ashei understood, and Link could feel the moment when she did. The Master Sword, already brimming with light, was throwing sparks at the feet of the wary Gerudo. He grinned. He couldn't die here. In fact, he refused.

'_Now!'_ he commanded.

In one sweeping motion, the two of them locked arms and spun counterclockwise with their swords outstretched. White-hot arcs of light energy fell at the feet of the Gerudo, and they all scrambled back for safety. Some made it, some didn't, though none were fatally wounded.

They stood there, breathing heavily when the dust fell.

All around them, the Gerudo seemed dazed, but at once they recovered and advanced again.

"Wait!" called a voice, sharp and commanding. Immediately the Gerudo paused. Then, they parted ways for yet another Gerudo in different colored clothing. Where most of the Gerudo were clothed in thick fabrics and silks of crimson and violet, this one wore similarly styled clothing of gold and white.

And unlike the others, her face was uncovered.

"Stand down," she told the other Gerudo in the room, "and return to your posts. I will take these two to the Fortress and speak with them there. Oh," she paused, touching the shoulder of one of the retreating Gerudo, "and please see the young carpenter safely back to town. Oh… a word of advice: if I find that any of you have harmed him… I'll feed you to the desert. Now get to it."

She took a deep breath and sighed as her orders were being carried out, and she looked up at Link and Ashei with a weary but relived expression.

"All right…" she began slowly, "why don't we go find your companions? I'm sure they've gotten into just as much trouble as you by now. We should probably make sure that they're not accidentally executed." She grinned at them, and there was a paused of stunned silence before Link managed to cough out a rough, "Um, well… would you mind leading the way?"

"Why certainly," she replied cordially, "It's this way."

And, apparently having no other choice, the two of them followed her as she led the towards the north side of the complex.

* * *

><p>Ahh… finally. This looks like a good stopping point. (Honestly, I'm still trying to work out what's going to happen next, so I'm probably going to disappear for a little bit to draw some stuff to listen to my new audiobooks.)<p>

See you then!

- Hikari no Vikki


	26. Gerudo Fortress

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Gerudo Fortress**

Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force

Chapter: 26

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: It's becoming increasingly difficult to write witty sayings about how I don't own anything except the plot… now, where's that cyber feather duster? I'd better find it before I start sneezing up a storm…

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

Sorry it's been a while since my last update, I recently started a new webcomic series on my Tumblr, and as I'm updating every Friday (barring some kind of emergency or something), it's been difficult to get each comic done in time in order to be able to set aside time to write…

Oh, and college isn't helping all that much. Even when I want to write during the week I usually pass out for a nap when I get home. Anyway, I'm shooting for our group of adventurers to finally make it to the Colossus in this one.

Will they succeed?

Let's find out, shall we?

* * *

><p>"Anakin…" Obi-Wan's voice hissed softly, the syllables pattering through the deep semi-darkness of the corridor, "I would be delighted if you could get that door open sometime in the next couple minutes or so…"<p>

"Master, I'm working as fast as I can," Anakin muttered bitterly, "I understand we're pressed for time, but it's been a while since I've done this."

The performance in question happened to be Anakin's ability to use a lock pick to open a door that was strangely held together with a regular key and hole sort of lock rather than another of the many electronic ones they'd found scattered about the complex. However, it seemed to Obi-Wan that Anakin was telling the truth, despite that he could barely make out the young man's silhouette through the soupy blackness.

"I suppose you're right," Obi-Wan conceded, "after all, it's not like I would have encouraged this behavior when I took you on as my padawan."

He paused, glancing once more down either ends of the corridor, which were – unlike their current location – well lit and being patrolled by guards that could hear them at any moment if they cared to stop and listen hard enough.

"However, we _are_ pressed for time… Force, now I know why I hated doing reconnaissance so much."

Anakin chuckled quietly. "You? On recon?" Behind him, Obi-Wan nodded despite that Anakin couldn't see him. "A couple of times after I'd grown up a bit and apologized to Qui-Gon for my behavior when I'd left him and the Order. It was sort of a self-inflicted punishment for the most part, but I still hated doing stuff like this… especially when the locals weren't very friendly towards the Jedi or sometimes any Force user for that matter."

He turned back to Anakin, who was kneeling so that his face was eyelevel with the lock and his body was pressed flush against the wall as though he were listening for something.

Suddenly both Anakin and Obi-Wan could hear a soft, minute click from within the wall and it was all Anakin could do to keep his excitement quiet as he took the two hairpin shaped pieces of metal from the lock and replaced them in one of his pockets.

"All right, all right," Obi-Wan hissed again softly, now let's open the door and see what's inside… and hopefully there's a light switch because I can't see as well as I'd like to in this blasted half darkness…"

As Anakin stood, he turned the lever on the door that served as the handle and pushed inward as the hinges on the door indicated.

What lay before them was possibly more than they'd expected: at least a whole squadron of fighter ships (X-Wings, according to Anakin), with tons of boxes stacked along the walls or sitting near the ships, each in various states of construction or disrepair with tools of all kinds scattered on tables or lying haphazardly near the boxes by the ships.

It wasn't quite as dark in this room, though that was mostly because above each X-Wing was a squared skylight at least a couple of meters longer than its length and about the same length in width, and thus the floor that stretched before them was flooded with several beams of moonlight that lit up the area.

"Well, no need to find a light switch," Anakin mused as the two of them walked further into the room.

Obi-Wan hummed in agreement, but something was still bothering him about all of this, specifically exactly _why_ the Gerudo needed all of these fighter ships in the first place. "It still baffles me exactly why they'd want all these in the first place," he finally said after he'd watched Anakin compare the holochart with the X-Wing blueprints to one of the nearly finished ships.

"After all," he continued, "even if they were an oppressed people like you say and they did indeed want to destroy Hylian spacecraft and create their own from what was left… why would you create fighting spacecraft and not ships for agriculture or freight carriers? It doesn't make any sense… unless…"

"Master," Anakin whispered quickly, cutting through Obi-Wan's musings.

Obi-Wan looked up, curious to know what his padawan's thoughts might be on the subject. "Yes, Anakin? What do you think?"

Anakin angled his body to him just enough so that it wouldn't look like he weren't still reading the holo-charts in his hands. His posture was straight and his face was tilted towards the screens, but his shoulders, which implied something of a more sinister nature, were tight and stiff. "Master…" he repeated slowly, and softer than before, "we're being watched." Obi-Wan frowned, and Anakin knew that his Master was trying to sense any Force signatures in the near vicinity.

"I can't sense anything," he said at last, to which Anakin replied by flicking his gaze and – almost imperceptibly – his head towards a bright red light blinking leisurely above the still open door that they'd used to enter the room.

"Oh," his Master murmured quietly, suddenly realizing what it was. "That would explain the feeling of impending doom…" Anakin chuckled. "Master, you always have a feeling of impending doom. Now, the real question is… how long until they get here, and how will we escape if they find us?"

"Halt, intruders!"

The two looked up, spotting a Gerudo soldier clothed in the uniform of purple and red silk that seemed to be the norm, jabbing a spear in their direction from another door that led into the small airfield from the south.

"Ah…" Anakin hissed, part reluctance, part excitement, tapering off with some irritation as he muttered, "Well, that answers that question."

As they turned to run, more Gerudo spilled into the room from other entrances, sending the their minds into spiraling patterns of plans upon plans that might help them escape, each more unlikely than the next. However, just as they were heading towards the far northern section of the field where steel frames sat in place of ships that had yet to be constructed, a tall iron step ladder stood that led up nearly to the height of the ceiling, leaving only about a yard in between the highest step and the edge of the skylight.

Suddenly it was as though a light went off in Anakin's mind, and the clouds lifted to reveal a plan. While not necessarily airtight, he was sure it would get them out of the mining complex at least.

"Master! Follow me, I've got a plan!"

Obi-Wan groaned.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" he asked to no one in particular, mostly since he had also seen the towering iron ladder and could guess from the excitement in his padawan's voice exactly what that plan would entail.

Anakin scrambled up the ladder, ducking down briefly as a knife (or possibly even a short spear) sailed past his head as he ascended the steps, hands grasping the cool metal to leave heat and sweat behind. More sharp objects assailed them from varying distances as Obi-Wan followed beneath him and the Gerudo were loping towards them at a difference of mixes between jumping gaits and leaping runs. Once Obi-Wan almost slid backwards due to the combined sweat that lingered from Anakin's scramble and his own, but they pressed forward until Anakin reached the final step.

Chilly desert air wafted in from above, moonlight blazing on and around them as Anakin began balancing very carefully on the railing of the ladder. Obi-Wan moved to help steady his padawan so that Anakin could reach the edge of the roof, dodging yet another sharp projectile as he glanced back to check on the progress of the Gerudo.

He winced, and something inside his heart chilled almost to the temperature of the air outside when he realized that some were beginning to ascend stairs to a nearby balcony in an attempt to cut them off.

"Anakin!" he called, not even bothering to keep the panic out of his voice, "get your butt up there and get me out of here! I'd rather not like to end up on one of their spears!" His padawan, who had at last managed to scramble onto the 'roof' that upon close inspection had been installed into the rocky plateau that only served as the roof, was grinning slightly as he grasped his Master's arms and hoisted him up as quickly as possible.

"That's probably not as likely as you think, Master," he said with a cheeky grin, "besides, you'd probably be a little too gamey for them if they were cannibals looking for a meal, which I doubt."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, and the two of them scrambled off in the direction of the Mining Complex exits, where hopefully Link and Ashei would be waiting for them. "Fine," he muttered, "but try telling me that the next time we encounter real cannibals and I have to save your sorry ass…"

Anakin said nothing, simply grinning harder as they sprinted across the roof.

* * *

><p>Link frowned as sounds of fighting began to reach them from where they were gathered only a couple yards away from the Mining Complex exits on the opposite side of the river valley.<p>

"That can't be good…" Ashei murmured, shooting a glance at the Gerudo woman clothed in gold and white. She seemed to sense Ashei's gaze and turned to meet it briefly while reaching up to press the small button that activated her nearly invisible headset, her gold painted nails glistening in the silvery moonlight.

"Pashli," she spoke briskly, "anything to report?"

There was a pause in which a hurried, almost panicked muttering could be heard through the small speaker as the woman's lips turned upwards in a gentle, almost affectionate smile.

"Now, now. Calm down. These are Jedi, Pashli. They won't die quite that easily. Just do what you can to keep as many of the soldiers under control and head this way… I'll need you to help me with the explanations." Another pause; this time followed by the slightest of amused scoffs and a tender but exasperated sigh. "Yes, I do mean everything. We can't do this any longer Pashli…" and finally before letting go of the button she stopped to lower her voice to a whisper to say, "Already he suspects…"

Afterwards, she glanced back at Link and Ashei as they huddled together to keep warm, though this was – admittedly – something of a flimsy excuse to cuddle since it was kind of an opportunity to and they were going to take it.

Link was the one to meet her gaze this time as it passed over them, and he inclined his head in her direction with a hint of knowing in his blue eyes.

"When you say 'he suspects…'" Link began quietly, "Do you mean…?"

The Gerudo nodded. "Yes. But we generally don't say his name much." Ashei straightened up and pulled away from Link's embrace so that she could stand. "Out of fear, or defiance?" Ashei asked, Link getting up and brushing sand from his clothing as he did so. The woman shrugged.

"A bit of both, I think. It's been a while since we were entirely sure of either, but we'll get to that once your comrades finally join us… and, ah. There they are." She tilted her head to the hills just above them where they could just barely make out the forms of Anakin and Obi-Wan scrambling down the mountainside with several Gerudo soldiers pursuing them.

"Looks like Pashli was able to restrain _most_ of them…" the woman sighed, running a hand across her forehead to massage the tough skin.

"This is really getting out of hand…"

Link frowned, wondering exactly what it was she meant, but before he could ask, a Gerudo popped out of one of the exit shafts wearing a uniform of scarlet with gold accents beneath a white lab coat, a woman that the other Gerudo seemed to recognize. For when Anakin and Obi-Wan crumpled to an exhausted heap on the packed earth, she stood in front of them, pointing a deadly but elegant looking blaster in the direction of the soldiers, all of whom skidded to a nervous halt at the sight of it.

"All right, all right! You've had your fun for the night. Back to your posts!"

There was quite a bit of dissatisfied grumbling that they hadn't even managed to shed any blood, but eventually the soldiers left and returned to their posts as they'd been ordered.

Sensing that it was safe to do so, despite the presence of the two remaining Gerudo, Anakin allowed himself to lay flat against the dirt for a few moments while he caught his breath, and Obi-Wan pulled himself into a more dignified standing position so that he could properly appreciate the fact that they weren't going to die tonight.

"So," he began breathlessly once he'd mostly tamed his disheveled hair into something less wild, "would anyone like to explain why we were just used as tonight's entertainment?"

The Gerudo in the gold and white chuckled softly.

"I do apologize for that… the four carpenters we caught trying to sneak into the Fortress last night apparently set them on edge, and you happened to be the next thing that wandered in before their bloodlust settled. I'm Basht, by the way." She angled her head in the direction of Link and Ashei. "I also apologize for not introducing myself earlier, but I thought it would save some time just to wait until I had you all together."

Finally, Basht gestured to the Gerudo in the gold and scarlet uniform wearing the lab coat. She seemed much more timid than her commanding voice had led Ashei to believe, and the blaster appeared almost too heavy for her to carry, thus adding to the diminutive effect.

"And this is Pashli. She is my partner, and my co-commander."

Pashli nodded, a touch of the affirmative nature Ashei had heard in her voice accentuating the sharpness of the movement.

"You should come with us to the Fortress, there are things we need to discuss," Pashli said quietly. Anakin sat up, shaking the sand from his hair. "Is that… safe?" Basht laughed, her amusement at his hesitation becoming nearly contagious as Ashei watched one corner of Link's mouth twitch upward a bit.

"We're the commanding officers of the King's army," she managed to say after she was finished, "I should hope it would be all right."

"Besides," Pashli cut in, "those of us that dwell in the Fortress are not quite so… touchy." She frowned in what appeared to be obvious distaste, but Basht brushed a lock of dark hair that was so deep a red it was almost black behind Pashli's ear, the gesture forced a soft blush to color her cheeks.

"Come my dear, it's late, and if you want to get this over with in time to try that experiment we discussed…" she trailed off, and Pashli's cheeks flushed even more, though she did little more than glare in her partner's direction while Obi-Wan helped Anakin to stand and the four of them followed the two commanders into the Fortress.

Ashei glanced in their direction with some measure of curiosity.

She'd heard that the sexuality between Gerudo women did not necessarily apply just to men or anything in between, though it was interesting to see the dynamic play out before her very eyes. And, if she were truly honest with herself, their behavior wasn't all that different from what she and Link exchanged between themselves whenever they were comfortable doing so.

So the six of them made their way towards the Fortress walking between two large cuts in the rock that towered over them, the cool wind just skimming the tops of the earthen walls. As they walked, Ashei explained that they had been cut through with water when the river had begun higher up in the western mountains instead of in the valley long ago. Eventually they came to a set of steps cut into the rock, with another path leading further southwest towards the gate that led into the deep desert of the Wasteland.

Instead of turning that way, however, they ascended the steps leading to the Fortress, and after a few long, monotonous moments of climbing step after step, the area around them finally opened up onto another plateau about a single story above the valley entrance.

Despite its size, it was definitely a city about a fourth of the size of the town at the base of the mountains. Some of the tiered structures were cut from the rock, others were built of adobe or fired clay bricks, and some were even made of precious metal with wood and drywall with plaster insulation. Every door had an electric light fixed nearby, and light posts were placed intermittently along the few streets, each tethered to another with strings of colorfully decorated twine.

One street turned into a road that led north, though Ashei couldn't say what it led to. A small airstrip, she thought, for she could see smaller planes, ones used for agriculture and such, disappearing into that general area.

"Wow," Ashei breathed, "I had no idea…"

"That we could engineer such construction?" Basht suggested, seeming to have witnessed this reaction before. Ashei shook her head, but only slightly.

"Well, maybe that… but I'd never even been to the town at the mountain's base, never mind the Fortress. It certainly lives up to its name though." Obi-Wan nodded. "I agree. Most of the planets I've been to that had only the most basic reliance on things like speeders and ships were hardly able to engineer feats of such magnitude… with a few exceptions."

Pashli nodded. "Well, I should hope you would add us to that list of exceptions. For what I've been able to gather, most other cultures see us as a kind of backwater agrarian sort of planet… once upon a time it was the goal of the Hylian government and our own to make peace with one another so that we might reach out to the other kingdoms and change that view…"

Ashei frowned. "But… that didn't happen, did it?"

Basht frowned as she and Pashli led them across one street into a sort of small courtyard-plaza mix, pausing when she finally reached one of the doors.

"No, it didn't… though we've gathered enough evidence to piece together the most plausible reasoning for it that we can find, though we should discuss that inside." Turning away from them, she opened the door, Pashli scurrying after her, the other four left to file in and close the door behind them.

The two commanders brought them to a medium sized room where about four plush pallets of cotton blankets and silk pillows were laid in a semi circle around an oil lamp crafted to look like a lit bowl of oil set in an indent that had been pressed into an iron box made entirely of swirling designs.

"We'll talk here," Pashli said quietly, handing the blaster she'd been carrying to one of the guards in the hallway, and asked another if they'd bring some bread and milk for night snack before the commanders retired to bed.

Basht walked over to a wooden chest at the back of the room to fetch some pillows for them to rest on while they spoke, and she gestured for the four of them to pick a pallet to rest on. Shortly after they were settled, the milk and bread were brought and Pashli ordered the door closed while Basht clicked her fingers and Ashei's senses tingled in the presence of magic.

"A silencing charm?" she asked quietly, even though she knew she was right.

Basht nodded. "We may be the commanders of the King's army, but as you might have picked up by the behavior of the soldiers under our command, _they_ don't all necessarily agree with that placement."

Beside her Pashli, who had by now removed her lab coat and placed it across her lap, had folded her arms and was scowling at nothing in particular.

"I didn't even want to _be_ a commander… but, what the King says, goes."

Link put down his cup of milk, the ceramic clinking slightly on the wooden tile of the floor. "You say this as if he is your rightful king… though I suppose he is, isn't he?" Basht nodded again, but paused to swallow a bite of the desert spiced bread before speaking again. "He was King of the Gerudo before he became what he is today, and in our youth, Pashli and I remember him to be a good and just ruler who truly wanted nothing more than peace after the wars his father had waged against the Hylian people."

"Truly?" Obi-Wan pressed, "So what changed?"

"Well," Pashli began in a delicate sort of whisper despite the silencing charm Basht had cast, "we think it was a culmination of things… if even one of the ingredients were missing, the recipe would have failed to create the disaster that is current state of our king. You see, there was always the tale of the Triforce, but that never much held our king's desire."

"The Triforce…" Anakin mused. "I keep hearing bits and pieces about it, but what is it exactly?" Ashei cleared her throat, and with a glance in Link's direction, they had the attention of the two Jedi. "I think we can explain that," she answered him firmly.

And it was at this point that she and Link gave the briefest but most concise retelling of Hyrule's creation story, and Obi-Wan at the very least had the wisdom to take it at face value for the time being and move on.

"So now you have it," Basht continued, "but there was a second reason, another ingredient if you will, that added to the destabilization of our government: the Rova sisters." Ashei sat up straighter, but frowned as though the name was familiar if not just out of her memory's range.

"I think my father told me about them once," she murmured.

"And he would be?" Basht gently pressed, honestly curious. Ashei's cheeks flushed slightly, though she couldn't say with what emotion.

"He once served as King Daphnes' high priest. And… our planet's representative in the Senate at Coruscant." She glanced at Obi-Wan, who nodded in confirmation. The two commanders were a varying mix of surprise and approval, and finally it was Pashli that replied with the quiet comment, "It makes sense now why you're so good at fighting… of course the man wouldn't leave his daughter defenseless…"

"But anyway," Basht cut in, drawing the attention back to the conversation at hand, "the Rova sisters are the two women who raised our King from his childhood. No one is sure which one of them is his mother, or if either of them are, but they were the ones to raise him regardless. The only reason he didn't listen to their whisperings prior to seven years ago was also because of the wars his father had waged. As the good and just ruler, he had no desire to see his kingship fall under such a shadow…"

"So there must have been a final ingredient…" Ashei mused, taking a last drink from her cup of milk.

Pashli nodded. "There was. And it is this final ingredient that is the most troubling, I think… for while it is entirely possible that without hearing of the Triforce or having the Rova sisters for a pair of mothers, this final piece of evidence makes me wonder if our King still would have had the constitution to remain loyal to his desire to _not_ become his father…"

"And what would that be?" asked Obi-Wan after the room had gone quiet.

Pashli looked to Basht, a glimmer of fear in her eyes. Basht took one of Pashli's hands, and for once, Pashli didn't blush at such a public display of affection.

"About seven years ago… let's see. The King was how old, Pashli? Twenty… eight, I think? Fairly young for a king, I remember." Pashli nodded, but didn't say anything. Basht kept her gaze low and her body angled towards her partner, who moved in closer. Ashei's ears pricked, and she could almost taste the atmosphere in the air change.

"Well," Basht continued, "before the two of us were the commanders of his army, there was… Nabooru. She was also his partner, his wife. About ten years previously, seventeen years ago in total they had tried for a child and been rewarded with a son."

Ashei frowned. "But what about that one Gerudo male every hundred years thing?" Link nodded. "Yes, I'd been wondering about that."

Basht chuckled softly.

"Rubbish and rumors, most of it. We have sons just as often as often as other races do, we just prefer that they stay out of military matters if they can help it. Most Gerudo men work as cooks and craftsmen, professors and scientists, but just as military service is not mandatory for women, neither are these services mandatory for men… or that's how it used to be. No man has been allowed anywhere near the Fortress for nearly a decade, though I should probably tell you what happened to the king's son first. It's not a topic most of us talk about, as even an allusion to it in his presence means death."

"That would explain the change in atmosphere," Ashei mused quietly.

"Yes," Pashli spoke softly, the first sentence she'd spoken in a while. "I mentioned it once when the Rova sisters were in the room, but at least they didn't kill me for it… still, it wasn't a pleasant experience."

"So anyway," Basht continued, picking up where she'd left off, "fifteen years ago the king's son had some sort of accident, and died shortly afterwards."

"What kind of accident?" Obi-Wan asked pointedly. "Does anyone know?"

Pashli shook her head. "No, not really. He simply disappeared one day and turned up at the edge of the desert. Most people generally think that the poor child simply wandered off when no one was looking and succumbed to the harshness of the sands… but some are suspicious of the way he was simply 'found' at the edge of the desert, especially…" she frowned, her thin brows furrowing in concentration as she tried to find the right words.

Finally, she sighed, and massaged her temples with one hand and looked up at the four of them with a distant, haunted look.

"Not long after, a man calling himself Darth Sidious sent a message to the King offering his condolences and hinted at the possibility of being able to bring his son back to life… but the King simply thanked the man for his thoughts and politely told him it was impossible to bring back the dead."

"Darth Sidious…" Anakin mused, "Say, Master? Haven't we heard that name before?" Obi-Wan frowned. "I think so… and it's not a good thing. But… keep going, please."

Basht nodded and did as she was asked.

"He and Nabooru tried for another child for two, three years without any success, and suddenly in his grief and frustration, the King remembered the promise of the Triforce that any who should touch it would be granted their deepest desire… now, at this point he wasn't yet far gone that he wanted to go to war against Hyrule for it, so he began to work on the peace negotiations again in order to get closer to the priests at the Temple."

Ashei gasped quietly. "My father…"

"He wasn't high priest at the time," Pashli interjected quietly, "but he was fairly high up as he was a known user of Light Magic, and a candidate for becoming the Sage of Light. He and the King discussed his desire at length and your father could do little but turn the King away anyhow. After all, even if one collected all three of the Spiritual Stones then one also had to pull the Master Sword from its pedestal to even enter the Sacred Realm… and you needed to be the Hero of Time to do that."

"So he just went back home?" Anakin prompted, confusion evident in his voice. Basht nodded again.

"What else could he do? He did, however, receive yet another message from this Darth Sidious, which again pressed the issue of bringing his son back. This time, the King still insisted it was impossible within the limits of worldly powers, and from that point on they exchanged messages for another couple of years, during which he and Nabooru were still unable to conceive yet another child. So… you may be wondering what truly changed the tide?"

The four of them nodded, each with varying degrees of interest.

"Well sometimes this Darth Sidious would physically come and visit and discuss things at length with the King. He would come a few times a year, and after each visit, one could tell that something in the King had changed, but the changes were never terribly radical or anything other than the symptoms of prolonged grief and frustration would cause. Thus no one cared to notice how the King's grief and frustration were slowly turning to anger and a propensity for violence, and the King's desire to remove himself from his father's bloody and tyrannical shadow grew smaller and smaller with each passing year."

"And it was in the year before the coup that things really heated up," Pashli added, finally pulling away from Basht and sitting alone on her own cushion, if not stiffly and with a dark look shadowing her features.

"He gathered to him a group of young and impressionable magicians, all women of course. As we've said, no men have been allowed in the fortress for decade, so in the three years prior to the coup there were only us women, and the youngest of us that were able to fight and learn magic he had been instructing in the darkest of arts, magics that only the Rova sisters had ever dared to practice… so it was these warriors that he took with him on the day of the coup, and you know the rest."

"But what about Nabooru?"

The question was spoken almost as an afterthought, and it was a few moments until Ashei realized it had been her that had asked it.

Basht glanced in her direction and grinned.

"Ah, so you've been paying attention, priestess." Ashei frowned, grimacing. "I'm no priestess…" Pashli shrugged. "You are in the eyes of the Gerudo because of who your father is, and the eyes of the Realm itself. As long as you have the abilities you inherited from your father, you are a priestess at least in name if not in practice. But, I digress…"

She glanced meaningfully in Basht's direction.

"Upon realizing that something was seriously wrong with her husband, Nabooru left for the Spirit Temple that lies at the feet of the Colossus. Most of our historians think that the Colossus was an early form of Nayru, since according to the legend, it was she that created the skies that give us – and the desert – the rain that allows us to live. We have since moved closer to the river and now receive most of our water from there, but as a sort of nod to the earliest parts of our history, some of the women still make pilgrimages to the Colossus to perform ritualistic dances as a kind of coming of age… but after Nabooru left, violent sandstorms began cropping up in the Wasteland and no one has been able to reach it since... alive at least."

Ashei nodded. "Makes sense. Is that why you call it Haunted?"

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "Haunted? As in 'ghost' haunted?"

Basht's lips twitched in a small smile of amusement.

"Oh, it's nothing quite so terrifying. It was apparently called the Haunted Wasteland because a long time ago the desert was full of the sandstorms that now currently occupy it before the sea swelled and receded, leaving the desert a clean slate so to speak. But during those times, Gerudo used to be much like the Sheikah in the same manner that they had the ability to see through spirits and illusions, and one illusion in particular – called the Spirit Guide – was centered in between the edge of the desert and the Colossus.

"If you could make it to the Spirit Guide using the cloth-marked posts as a kind of trail, then you could make it to the Colossus. But it's been thousands of years since then, and no Gerudo, except perhaps the Rova sisters, still have the ability to see the Spirit Guide."

Anakin blinked, something sparking at the edge of his mind.

"But we do, don't we? We have our Lenses of Truth!"

He pawed at his pockets, searching through them until finally he found it, the glimmering red eye rounded in purple spikes strapped to a piece of leather that could be comfortably fitted around one's head.

"A Lens of Truth?" Pashli gasped excitedly, "You really have them?"

It was Link who nodded.

"We're actually looking to find the Spirit Temple ourselves. I suspect that something evil is rooted at the heart of it, and that is what's probably causing the sandstorms, so if you would allow us access to the desert tomorrow morning, we could cross it and deal with whatever we find there. Would you mind that terribly?"

Pashli seemed reluctant about this proposal, but Basht was able to calm her fears with the sound reasoning that there could be little harm in the gesture.

"Also," she finished, "if you could try to find out what happened to Nabooru, it might put the minds of the soldiers at ease. She never came back from Temple, and the King's decision to appoint us as commanders doesn't sit well with either Pashli and myself or the soldiers. Most of them have it in their heads that she's simply been surviving out there, unable to return home, but the Rova Sisters have been there and back several times, and not once did they ever return with her… it's unsettling."

Obi-Wan nodded slowly. "It's the least we can do…"

It seemed that their conversation was over, so the two Gerudo were about to get up and collect the empty cups to leave, but Obi-Wan asked them to stay just a few moments longer.

"There is one other thing I'd like to ask about…"

Pashli seemed to understand, and nodded sagely.

"The whole mining complex, the plasma fuel, and the X-Wings? All of those things were projects we'd had going on for ages, and we'd even received the plans for the X-Wing and some of our agricultural craft from the Hylian king as a peace offering. It was that Sidious who suggested that our King focus on offensive ships and such, which is part of the reason why I was appointed as a co-commander, since I was head of the scientific research teams at the time of the coup…"

She shook her head.

"I hope that clears things up. I have no idea what you intend to do after you've been to the Temple, but please remember that our King was a kind and just man once, and perhaps he might be again if someone could somehow restore his goodness to him. I believe that man, Sidious, he somehow stole it from our king, or at the very least, whispered so much darkness into his mind that the light of his honest ambitions could no longer fight it off."

There was pause, a long, silent pause that was saturated with a multitude of conflicting thoughts and emotions that several seconds passed before Link was finally able to slowly nod in response.

"I shall endeavor to keep it in mind. Thank you for everything… the milk especially."

Basht chuckled and collected their cups from them.

"Don't trouble yourself if you can't find a way to restore our king to his former glory, though. If he must be killed, Pashli and I have been planning to somehow shift our form of government to some form of democracy, since he never had any heirs after the death of his poor son. We've essentially been living under a kind of republic anyway, even though no one is really able to vote and the only 'elected officials' so to speak are ourselves, but…"

She shrugged.

"Sleep well, travelers. We'll be around to wake you in the morning for breakfast or perhaps earlier if any of you would like to freshen up in our saunas?" Ashei hummed contentedly as she burrowed into her blankets, not even bothering with nightclothes.

"That sounds wonderful… doesn't it, Link?"

He chuckled softly. "Yes, I suppose it does… so I guess I don't mind if you wake us at least for a nice bath before we head out. I don't think we'll have the chance to do much bathing deep in the desert, so I'll take the opportunity to do so before we leave."

Basht nodded, filing the request away in her head.

"I'll remember that. And again… sleep well. Don't worry about the lamp, it'll turn itself of once you all fall asleep."

And with that, she and Pashli left, closing the door behind them.

* * *

><p><strong>.oOo.<strong>

Ugh… I would write more, but really don't wanna.

I've been working almost nonstop since Saturday, mostly because I managed to finish my last comic on Friday, and with tomorrow being Monday I'd like to get a start on that and… yeah. Also, there's still college to think about, so I can't work myself _too_ hard or I'll burn out.

So anyway, this is mostly one huge plot-dump, but I _really_ wanted to let ya'll know that I wasn't dead, so deal with it. It also helped cement a couple of future plot points for me; not a bad consolation prize. :D

I'll do my best to write on weekends, but the lengths of my comics vary, so I might not always start or finish anything during those times. Thanksgiving will be a good time to write, since I'll probably take a holiday from the comic or something that week. (Also, if you want to check out my Tumblr, where I host my comic, the link should be up on my profile page.)

Until then,

- Hikari no Vikki


	27. Haunted Wasteland

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Haunted Wasteland**

Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force

Chapter: 27

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: I... own a... poster? Well, I don't own this. Except the plot. I think.

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

Umm… I can explain. Well, not really, actually. I've wanted to write more for this story, but I just haven't. Obviously I am now, but I'm trying to give myself a very swift kick in the rear here, considering I had more than ample opportunities to start updating again. Oh well.

On with it, then! Enjoy. :)

* * *

><p>As per usual, Link was up before the sun.<p>

Groaning softly as he propped his elbows on the plush cushions their generous hosts had provided for them, he blinked slowly into the pre dawn light for a minute or so as he let the gears of his mind get up to speed. After another moment he drew himself into a sitting position, and he glanced across the empty oil lamp over to the pile of pillows and blankets from which a wave of tangled black hair sprouted.

Link couldn't help but smile.

Then he remembered that Basht had offered to let them have use of their saunas before they set out into the wastes, and he wasn't about to… _waste_ that opportunity.

Chuckling to himself he stood and carefully maneuvered around his sleeping companions and crossed the room to lay his hand on the latch of the door. A passing Gerudo boy of about twelve or thirteen jumped, his hand lifted as though he were about to knock, an expression of mild shock flooding his features.

Link blinked in surprise.

"Oh, I apologize. Were you coming to fetch us for the saunas?"

The boy nodded, and Link hummed in amusement. "Thank you. It's only me that's awake right now, but I can see if any of the others would like to get up and join me. Can you wait?" The boy nodded again, running a hand through his close-cropped dark red hair, golden eyes glittering sheepishly.

"I – I can come back for the others in an hour or so," he mumbled. "I thought it might be too early."

Link shrugged. "That's fine. But I'm up and willing to go, just give me a moment if you would." He turned and closed the door despite the boy's halted protests, which died in his throat the moment the air touched his lips. He sighed, defeated, and assumed that the blonde man wouldn't be long for all the energy he seemed to have at this early hour of the morning.

Ashei stirred at the closing of the door, groaning softly in displeasure.

"What…?" she managed before her eyes could adjust to the room's dim light.

"Ashei, are you awake?"

The question was soft, and she turned towards the sound, quite unsurprised to see that it belonged to Link, who was standing near the door in only his undershirt and breeches again, his hair wildly tousled from tossing on a bed of pillows and blankets on the floor all night. She doubted that her hair was any better. He was also far too awake than anyone should be allowed to before the rising of the sun, but that was Link she supposed.

"I am now," she grumbled, attempting to run a hand through her hair and inevitability failing due to the instant presence of tangles halting their progress. "What was that just then?"

"There's a boy here to fetch us for the saunas," he answered, "I was going to check to see if any of you wanted to come with me, but…" He glanced at Obi-Wan and Anakin, who were both still out cold. Ashei snorted. "Good luck getting them up at this hour…" She sighed and shook her head. "But I suppose since I'm awake I'll go with you. I need to brush my hair anyway."

Link chuckled. "Maybe I can help with that?" His eyes twinkled with amusement, and a little of Ashei's ire diminished under his gaze.

"Maybe," she hummed appreciatively, "We'll see."

Link looked around his things and found Navi still snoozing peacefully in his hat. He shrugged, sighing softly. "I guess I'll just leave her here for now. She gets cranky when she doesn't sleep enough."

Despite her irritation at being up so early, Ashei chuckled and took the hand he offered her as the two of them exited the room.

They followed the Gerudo boy outside, where they were offered slip on sandals to protect their feet from the rocks and dirt. He led them up another tier of the small city, directly to a place where Pashli and Basht were waiting. Basht looked them over, a wry smile teasing at the edges of her lips and a chuckle rumbling from deep within her throat.

"Only just managed to get up this morning, did you? Honestly I didn't expect any of you soft city folk to be up this early."

Link shrugged.

"I always get up before dawn. Force of habit, I guess." He glanced at Ashei with a grin. "I'm still training this one." Ashei glared at him. "If the door hadn't woken me up, I wouldn't be here," she grumbled. Link chuckled again and pressed a light kiss to her left temple. She glanced at him.

"That's no going to get you out of anything, mind you."

Again, another chuckle from Link. "I don't mind it so much when you're annoyed with me. It's when you're angry with me that I know to avoid you."

Ashei was about to retort, but Basht stopped their banter, clearing her throat loudly. "Well, as much as I enjoy watching the two of you verbally spar with one another, we didn't ask you here for entertainment, did we Pashli?"

Pashli, who was glancing around Basht at the two of them with half concealed amusement, chuckled and shook her head. "No," she chirped softly, "we did not. Basht, if you would prepare our things, I'll be along in a moment. I shall remain behind for now to explain how the sauna works to our guests." Basht nodded and returned Pashli's sultry gaze with one of her own, pressing a quick, steamy kiss to her partner's lips before sauntering away.

"I'll be waiting, my dear. I hope you're willing to continue with what you started this morning… because I certainly am."

And with that, she was gone.

Pashli, who though dark skinned, was blushing fiercely. Clearing her throat and rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly, she addressed the two travelers.

"Please follow me so that I may show you to your sauna."

Link frowned, his brow creasing slightly in his confusion. "Our sauna? I thought…" Pashli chuckled. "We don't have very many to begin with, and even if we did, it's not in our culture to require separation of genders in our facilities as with most cultures. It is simply our way. It also helps to maintain water usage if more than one person uses each sauna. We're giving you one of our smallest, since two is the minimum number of people we allow to use our facilities here."

Ashei nodded. "Makes sense. This is a desert after all, and requiring that more than one person use each sauna at a time is ideal. But what will we be wearing, if I may ask?"

Pashli's light chuckle suggested that she knew the young woman had already guessed what they would be wearing, judging from the shelves of towels and ointments that lined the walls.

"Nothing at all, as per usual," she quipped, and Link felt his face burn with a hot blush and his grip on Ashei's arm tightened noticeably. Ashei used her other hand to stroke his arm gently, easing him back down to a more comfortable state. "But of course we also provide towels for those who prefer to cover up in _something_ while relaxing."

She turned and flashed them a catty grin.

"If there is anything else that you desire… water and scented sponges perhaps? Or a brush?" Ashei thought it over and decided that Pashli's suggestions sounded quite nice. It might be awhile before she could smell nice and clean again, after all.

"If you have any lavender sponges, that would be wonderful," she said thoughtfully, "and a brush would do me wonders."

Pashli nodded. "I'll fetch some while you're undressing. Feel free to ask for anything else; you're not likely to have such an experience while out in the wastes, after all." Ashei grimaced. "That was my line of thinking, yes." Pashli nodded again. "And you, sir? Would you like any particular scents to sponge the grime away with?"

Link blinked in surprise. "I, uh… I've never really…"

She stopped turned to face them, her expression somehow seemingly both amused and serene.

"Never really cared to bother with bath oils or soaps? It's no trouble. I know what that's like, preferring just to be clean and not really caring what I got clean _with_. I'll bring you something that I think might suit you. Now, here is the changing room for your sauna, just exit through the painted door at the end, and all the things you've asked for should be waiting for you."

Ashei, noticing Link's hesitation, decided to go in first and gently tugged him along with her. Just before Pashli closed the door behind them she said, "And please, take your time. Breakfast isn't for another few hours."

They glanced around the room, which was slightly cooler thanks to the air conditioning units that had been installed above the door. A long wooden bench, slightly rough but well polished, was pressed against one side of the small room, and had several fluffy white towels placed on it. On the other side, a few singular curtains were set up, the tops ending just above Ashei's collarbone.

She noticed that Link was still nervous, but wasn't sure what to say to him that would snap him out of it like she'd done before.

"Link?" she tried softly, "You know it's okay, right? It's just you and me here." She remembered that even though he'd accepted his adult nature, he still had trouble undressing around others. "I won't judge," she whispered.

Finally his pupils came back into focus and locked on Ashei's.

"Sorry," he gasped quietly, "I… didn't mean to…" Ashei handed him a towel.

"Here. Go in one of the curtains."

She jerked her head in the direction of the filmy blue material hanging from the metal ring bolted to the wooden pole that was buried in the thick dirt, reinforced by metal casings. His cheeks flushed softly, until his eyes caught the slight movement of her hands. He placed his hands over hers, steadying them. "So, you're nervous too, huh?"

Ashei nodded sheepishly. "Just a little. I've never been good at wrapping a towel around, well…" She glanced down at her chest, which while not as large as others, wasn't terribly small either. "So if I do slip every now and then, please do forgive me." She chuckled slightly, and that seemed to make Link feel better about his own nervousness; after all, this was Ashei!

And, his mind supplied, if he was ever going to court her properly someday, he might as well get used to seeing her… with considerably less clothing.

As that thought struck him, his blush intensified, and he busied himself with pulling the curtain around him as he divested himself of the rest of his clothing, hanging both his shirt and trousers on the rim of the curtain. He had just finished pulling and firmly tucking the towel around his waist when he glanced over in Ashei's direction.

She was in the process of unwrapping her breast band from her chest, folding the cloth and putting it with the rest of her clothing on the rim of the curtain. It seemed that her curtain didn't reach all the way back, however, and his eyes caught the curve of her spine spilling from beneath her tangled curtain of dark, wild hair. Even with the softness of a woman's form, he could tell that hard muscle lay beneath her skin, the curve of her spine trailing downwards until–

He looked back up and away, wincing at the slight thrill of _that_ particular feeling which had once made him uncomfortable around well endowed women that now only came about when he thought about _her_.

Letting the coldness of the room quell the knot of arousal that was beginning to pool in his gut, Link quickly turned back to his clothes and began folding them in an attempt to keep his mind from sliding further into the gutter, for he knew it would be difficult enough trying to stay near its edge with the knowledge that Ashei was wearing nothing under her towel fresh in his mind.

Eventually he pulled his curtain around and stepped out to place his clothes on the bench, at which point Ashei glanced up to get a good view of his muscular back. She grinned appreciatively as she tucked her towel as best she could, and prayed that if any of the Three were listening, her towel would stay firmly in place beneath her collarbone.

"Well?" she asked him cheekily as she stepped outside of her own curtain, her arms full of her clothes, "Still feeling all right?"

Link turned to her when he heard her speak, muttering something that sounded something like, "I suppose so," under his breath. Ashei placed her clothes on the bench next to his and sighed softly through her nose.

"I meant what I said before, Link. It's going to be all right, I promise."

Feeling a little bolder, Link met her eyes and retorted gently, "Yes, it might be if my every thought wasn't focused on the fact that you're wearing nothing under that towel, sweet." Ashei felt her cheeks flush, but did her best not to let her eyes wander. "Ah," she murmured in response, "I see. Well, if it becomes too uncomfortable, I trust you know how to take care of that particular… desire?" Link's cheeks flooded with color again, but he nodded all the same.

"I can leave the room if you need me too," she continued as she opened the door to the sauna, holding it out for him. "But you're going to have to get used to this at some point," she teased, grinning at him.

Her amusement seemed to ease his discomfort a bit more, and he followed her inside, closing the door behind him.

Inside the sauna, the room was all wood and steam, a small island in the middle held up a brush, two bowls of water, and three sponges, one a plain white and the other two a light purple and olive green. Long wood benches were laid along the far side in a bracket shape, the structures pressed flush against the wall in tiers for optimal comfort. Link hummed appreciatively.

"Hmm. This is nice. Strange that the warmth of the sauna isn't quite so overpowering even in this heat."

Ashei nodded, plucking one of the extra towels and slinging it around her neck, underneath her hair. "That's why the first room is cooled to a certain degree, so that you're walking into a more pleasant heat that makes the experience more enjoyable."

Link nodded, picking up the brush and gesturing to the nearby benches.

"Well, shall we?"

Ashei smiled softly and sat, her back to him, and pressed her right arm into the next tier for support. Link sat behind her and began to slowly run the brush through her tangles, the heat of the sauna actually helping to loosen them. The motion of brushing Ashei's hair was becoming quite natural to him, and it helped him ignore the other thoughts that were running about in his head.

Usually they talked while he did this, but this time they seemed to agree on a more companionable silence, which the two readily welcomed. With how things had been going for them lately, silence had been hard to come by, and such an opportunity couldn't be wasted, it seemed.

"Almost done," Link eventually announced, running his fingers through her hair one last time to make sure he'd left no tangle untouched. When he seemed satisfied, he placed the brush back on the island, which he'd discovered could be pulled closer to them so that they could leave the bowls of water where they were.

"I'm assuming that the purple sponge is yours?" Link asked as Ashei turned around. With her hair properly brushed, she looked more like herself, and dressed in only the white towel, Link could almost picture her as the priestess that might surely become if she chose to follow in her father's footsteps.

Ashei nodded.

"The white sponge is for afterwards, to soak up any excess." She paused, glancing at the other sponges. "Also, I think the idea is for us to use the scented sponges on… each other." She winced slightly, tilting her head slightly downwards in embarrassment.

"Would you be averse to at least trying that? I know it sounds fair intimate, but I'm actually… quite interested in the idea."

Link paused to think, glancing at the sponges. He thought about how much more comfortable he felt now that he'd gotten used to the idea of being so… unclothed around Ashei. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, as long as it was her. Slowly, he nodded. "I think we can try that."

He stopped again, a thought coming to him. He could feel that his cheeks were flushing, but it was something he thought they should at least try while they had the opportunity. "In fact," he continued slowly, "I wouldn't mind it if… we could try it without the towels either." He glanced at Ashei, who seemed more surprised than embarrassed.

"I supposed it's only fair… I almost walked in on you after your shower back at Zora's Domain, and you weren't wearing a towel then."

Link spluttered. "What? I… really? But I never… you didn't tell me!"

Ashei chuckled sheepishly. "I'd sort of forgotten to knock, but you didn't notice me come in… I thought it would be awkward if I'd asked what you wanted for breakfast just then, so I closed the door before you noticed." She chuckled again, and Link couldn't help but do the same, running a hand through his damp hair.

"All right then, how would you like to do this?"

"Like this is fine," she replied. "I'll go first, hmm? Then you. If it gets too uncomfortable, let me know, all right?" She captured his gaze and held it for a long time. It was only when he heard something drop to the floor that he realized she'd removed her towel… though the startled expression on her face seemed to tell him otherwise. She chuckled. "Uh, didn't I say I had trouble keeping towels on?"

He returned her sheepish grin and, without looking, reached for the place where he'd tightened the towel around his waist.

'_Be still,'_ he heard her say through their link, and it startled him a little.

"Sorry," she whispered as she squeezed the scented sponges in the water, "but you were squirming." She glanced down to where he still held the towel together in his hands. "Aren't you going to remove that? It's nothing I haven't seen, trust me." Turning back to her task, Link took the opportunity to undo the towel and let it drop to the floor as she had.

For a moment he sat there, feeling quite childish and awkward, but when Ashei turned to him with the lavender sponge, tiny bits of soap lather bubbling from its pores, he seemed to quite forget that the two of them were unclothed.

"Shall we start with the shoulders?" Ashei asked gently, "Or would you prefer somewhere else?"

Link's brows knit as he thought, and on impulse he pressed the sponge gently against the right side of Ashei's face, dabbing at the dirt smudged there. He hummed in amusement when she twitched, a low chuckle rumbling in his throat.

"Here's fine," he replied, and Ashei nodded slowly.

The two spent nearly half an hour sponging away the dirt and grime they'd collected since their last bath, carefully putting every dip and curve of each other to memory for another time, for use in the future if that was at all possible. They chatted quietly about whatever crossed their minds; sometimes it was about them, sometimes not. Sometimes it was about people they both knew, and sometimes it wasn't.

And they learned that the scented sponge that Pashli had left for Link to try had some heady, earthy scent to it that Ashei would later always associate with Link and his forest green clothes. She found that her own preferred scent, lavender, complimented it very well, and that pleased some primal part of her.

When they were done, they used the white sponge to dry the excess water and soap and wrapped themselves again before exiting the sauna and changing back into the clothes they'd worn to bed.

"We should probably head back and put on the rest of our gear," Ashei commented as she was fastening her breast band, "I mean if Obi-Wan and Anakin are even up yet they'll wonder where we've gone." Link shrugged. "Unless they're somewhere around here. Knowing Obi-Wan, he'll be around somewhere… the man has this unnatural desire to be clean in his every waking hour." He chortled quietly at his own joke, but Ashei simply shook her head and sighed contentedly.

The two exited the sauna, Ashei's right arm threaded through Link's left, and they were surprised to see Basht and Pashli waiting for them outside.

"Oh, hey you two," Basht greeted them, grinning slyly. "How was you first experience in our saunas?" Link blinked owlishly and Ashei spat out a dry cough. "Ah… it was… kind of nice," she managed after a moment, chuckling. "You know, maybe when this whole business is over you should consider inviting people to come from all over to experience it. I mean, just think of all the revenue that would bring to the town!"

Basht's usually bright eyes dimmed slightly as she imagined the scene Ashei's words had painted for her. She hummed quietly in agreement.

"Yes," she said at last, "maybe."

She took one look at the peak of the rising sun over the horizon and nodded to Pashli. "Well, it's almost time for breakfast. There's not much else we can give you other than that, though. The wastes are a challenge for you and you alone, I'm afraid."

Link nodded. "We understand."

When they finally finished putting on the rest of their gear and arrived at the small dining room that was reserved for the commanders and their guests, Link and Ashei were surprised to see Anakin and Obi-Wan sipping at glasses of the Gerudos' fabled spiced wine.

"Oh, hey," Anakin greeted them as they sat down, "where were you this morning?"

"Probably taking advantage of their exquisite saunas, padawan," interjected Obi-Wan, "which you could have also taken advantage of if you'd bothered to get up when I asked. It was quite lovely, I must say. Though the two of you took your time."

He glanced in the direction of Link and Ashei, who both flushed.

"I've never been in a sauna before," Link mumbled into his food as it was placed before him. It looked delicious, smells of savory beef mixed with the unique desert scents wafting to them from the accompanying sauces.

"And Pashli requested that we take our time," Ashei murmured drolly, plucking the nearest unused goblet and pouring herself a cup of wine. "So we did. It was quite enjoyable indeed." She sipped at her cup, glancing in Obi-Wan's direction with eyes that sparkled in her mirth. Obi-Wan shook his head.

Navi, who had been apparently munching on some grapes from the fruit bowl in the center, took the opportunity to pipe up with, "Well, regardless, we're all here now, hmm? Why don't we decide how we're going to cross the desert while we're still in the relatively safe company of our hosts?"

Basht, who sat at the head of the table next to Pashli, chuckled darkly.

"Yes, planning is always a good strategy, little fairy. Pashli, if you would explain to them about the river? We already discussed the cloth-marked posts last night as well as the Spirit Guide… but…"

Pashli nodded. "Yes, the river." She turned to face the four travelers, her expression grave. "There is something I don't recall either of us mentioning last night during our discussions… and that is the river at the entrance of the desert. It used to be an actual river made of water and rocks, but since the disappearance of our leader Nabooru, the water has mysteriously covered itself in sand, and has increased in speed and strength.

"Crossing it with boats is no longer possible for this reason, and though the sand looks fair solid, it is not, and so attempting to run across it will only get you killed, since even the slightest pressure will break the layer of sand and plunge you into the water buried beneath."

Link frowned. "How large across is the river? A few feet? Meters? If it isn't terribly large then we could launch ourselves across by any means available to us…"

The clattering of cutlery and sounds of chewing filled the air as Pashli considered his question.

"Hmm. If I recall correctly our last estimation put it at around fifteen feet or so…" She shrugged. "If you think you can jump that, be my guest." Obi-Wan nodded thoughtfully. "We could manage it if we all Force jumped across. Such a distance wouldn't be terribly difficult."

"There are also some of those cloth marked poles on the other side of the river," Basht politely interrupted, "If any of you has anything that could make use of that, such tactics would be useful."

"My Longshot can easily make fifteen feet," Link affirmed, "so I don't think the river will give us much trouble… barring some other disaster." He frowned, gulping down the last of his breakfast. "Though I should hope that nothing of the sort arises." His other companions nodded in agreement. "But say one of us _does_ fall in the river," Anakin prompted, "what then?"

"If I can stretch a shield far enough over the river then we won't have to worry," said Ashei quietly, pushing her empty plate away. "Well, it seems like everyone is done and the days here aren't very long, so I suggest that we get moving so we can reach the Spirit Temple by dusk."

"That sounds like a good idea," Link agreed.

.oOo.

Basht and Pashli led the four travelers to the edge of the town where the edge of the desert lay. A large iron gate fixed between sturdy pillars of durasteel stood between them and the open space of the Haunted Wasteland.

Pashli pressed two fingers against the mic in her right ear, giving the guard at the top a command in Gerudo that Ashei recalled as, "Open the gate, soldier!" And then, after she made sure the mic was off, she muttered in common speech, "Or I'll get up there and do it for you…"

Such a show of force was not necessary, though, for the gears of the gate began to turn and the large iron spikes lifted to grant them access. The two commanders turned to their guests, offering them thick pieces of cloth with clips attached to them.

"Here," said Basht sternly, "you'll need these, too.

"Fasten them around your nose and mouth and onto the inside of your cloaks so that the sand doesn't choke you. They'll also make certain that your hood doesn't fly off in the wind, so that your eyes will be protected as well."

They all nodded their thanks, but were no longer much for words after their discussion during breakfast. Attaching the pieces of cloth to their cloaks as they'd been instructed, the group tightened their cloaks a little further and began trudging into the desert.

It didn't take long for the wind to pick up, the heat and intensity instantly enough to bring each of them to sweating. They could no longer see the gate behind them either, even though they knew it was only meters behind them.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Obi-Wan muttered to no one in particular.

"Ugh, as do I," Navi complained. "There's too much sand out here…" Link chuckled softly. "Stay in my hat, then. I'll let you know when it's safe to come out, okay?" Navi grumbled. "I feel so useless… some guardian fairy I've been lately." He shushed her gently as Navi burrowed into his hat like he'd asked her to. "Hey, it's fine, Navi. You'll have plenty of opportunities to be useful when we get to the Colossus."

At last, Link surveyed the harsh landscape, and after a while he could make out a thin, rakish wooden pole not more than twenty feet from where he stood. A ratty piece of cloth that was likely once red in color was tied around the top, the loose material whipping wildly in the fierce winds. It flapped so erratically that Link wondered at how it even managed to stay on, but there it remained.

He frowned. If that pole was this close to where they were now then that meant…

"Ashei, don't move another step!" he cried, panic lancing through his chest as his voice climbed from his lips in a garbled screech. Ashei turned and stumbled backwards in her haste. Instantly Link was there to catch her, and he dragged her away from where he could now see the sand moving quickly towards the east.

He let out a deep sigh, relieved he'd been able to spot it in time.

"Sorry about that," he muttered, "it's just that you were about to step in the river." Ashei gasped softly and turned, scrutinizing the place where he gestured. Upon finally noticing the movement of the sand in front of them, she shuddered and automatically took a step back, backing into Link.

Obi-Wan moved a little closer and studied the river as well. He nodded, confirming that they had indeed arrived at the river.

"I didn't realize that it was so close… you have good eyes, Link."

Link simply nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

Anakin chucked a small but weighty pebble he'd found in his pockets and lobbed it at the river, stepping back as Ashei had when he observed how quickly the pebble sank beneath the sand. "Huh… they were right about not walking on it," he said hotly under his breath. Ashei nodded to Link, letting him know that she could stand on her own again.

"Well, we know how we're going to cross it, so let me set up a barrier first just so we don't almost fall in like I did."

Taking a deep breath to center herself, Ashei faced the river and cast her magic out with one hand, as a fisherman would cast his net. She'd drawn on her light magic instead this time, since it was what felt the most stable of her options, and using it helped to clear her mind of her earlier fear as the barrier flashed once and then solidified.

"There," she said, nodding sharply, "that should do it."

Obi-wan nodded. "Then let's get across so you don't waste energy maintaining it."

Link went first, using his Longshot, and he stood by while he watched first Obi-Wan, Anakin, and finally Ashei make it across. She smiled at him, brushing her mind against his to assure him of her safety.

"See," she said to him with a wolfish grin, "hard part's over."

"Oh, I wish you hadn't said that," he replied listlessly. She giggled again and he rolled his eyes, sighing.

From there it was a simple matter of following the path of marked poles that Basht had described, though simple wasn't exactly the right word for it. The sand was swirling around them so thick here that Link could swear he was beginning to see things he shouldn't. Finally, after the fourth time he'd gotten them turned around he said that everyone should put on their Lenses, which everyone did without question.

Turning his on, he was able to find the real path much easier, and he could ignore the shadows in the sand that appeared to be enemies, but weren't. The desert seemed to hold some strange power of its own, designed to waylay those traveling through it, though to what end Link could not guess.

He could not tell how long they had been following the path, but after three breaks to drink from their flasks of water, Link spotted two symmetrically placed poles in the sand, signaling to him that the next trial of the desert was at hand.

"Hey, we're at the waypoint!" he called back, being careful not to let the whirling sand into his eyes.

"Understood!" came Obi-Wan's faint reply.

Once they reached the point where the two poles were placed, the wind began to let up just enough so that the sand wasn't constantly buffeting them. The travelers each let out long, heavy sighs as they trudged over to the cylindrical structure in the center of the circle of poles. There didn't appear to be as many poles past this point, which is why Link guessed there was a need for a Spirit Guide to lead them to the temple.

"There's a bunker down here," Anakin observed as they climbed up the ramp spiraling upwards around the structure. "What do you suppose it was used for?"

"A rest stop, possibly?" Ashei called over the roar of the wind. "This place wasn't quite so dangerous once after all, perhaps this was part of the ritual!"

It wasn't something they could use though, since it was likely it hadn't been used in years and would do them little good. The four arrived at the top of the structure and found that a raised stone tablet was placed at the roof's center, with a few characters etched into the stone in a flowery script.

"Hey, this is a Hylian print, isn't it?" Obi-Wan asked Ashei. She nodded slowly. "It's not one I recognize though… can you read it, Link?" Link examined the text and found that it was the same dialect that Shad had used in his diary. "Yes, I can actually… let's see what it says." He frowned at it, muttered the words under his breath before finally reading them aloud.

"'Those with an eye of truth shall be guided to the Spirit Temple by an inviting ghost.' Yes, that's what it says."

Something passed through the air around them, lighting up the energy of the Force with its presence. "Something's… here," Obi-Wan said softly, not wanting to disturb the strange quiet. Link reached for his Lens of Truth, about to switch it back on, but he paused. "Is it dangerous, do you think?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "No, I don't think so."

In an unusual turn of events, Anakin seemed to agree. "Whatever it is, it doesn't want to hurt us. Let's turn on our lenses and see what it wants."

When Link turned on his Lens of Truth, his field of vision flashed a gentle golden white before focusing on a slim, feminine figure that was little more than a shimmering silhouette of transparent gold, streaks of white defining places where shadows might have been, wild hair falling around her in long waterfalls of curls. She gave off an air of serenity and kindness that reminded Link of something, though he couldn't remember what it was, exactly…

"I will be your guide to my Temple," she said to them, "however I will only lead you there, I cannot bring you back. And I will not tarry once we start, nor will I look for you should you stray from the path or lose sight of me. Do we have an understanding?"

Link turned around to his companions, who each nodded in return. He looked back at the shimmering figure and nodded to her, and her white stained lips twitched upwards in a half smile.

"Then let us begin."

She turned and began to float off in that direction, leaving the travelers no choice but to brave a jump of the structure in order to keep up. They soon discovered that it was very difficult indeed to follow the guide after they left the protective circle, for this was where the winds picked up again and the sand swirled around them with greater force.

But while her shimmering form nearly blended in with the landscape and often turned at strange and bewildering angles, it was nothing compared to the ceaselessly spawning green creatures that came in packs of twos and threes to spin around them just out of their reach and attack when they least expected it. Ashei tried to tell them that they were called Leevers, but neither of the Jedi would have it for they were too busy trying to keep them away from the group, and it was all Link could do just to keep an eye on their guide while also making sure that no one wandered too far off the path.

It felt like forever before they finally reached the last pair of wooden stakes, their tattered red flags flapping erratically in the wind. And it was here the shimmering figure turned to them, pointing one slim golden hand in the direction of a dark shape in the distance.

"That is where the Desert Colossus lies. Follow it, and may the true force be with you always."

She smiled then, truly smiled this time, and Link felt a spring of feelings well up from within him. It was as though his veins were filled with light itself, but then the golden woman's eyes closed and the feeling faded into nothing.

It was a while before anyone spoke.

"I suppose we should follow her advice," Anakin coughed grumpily. "Besides, I want to get out of this sandstorm… I'm beginning to feel sand getting into places it shouldn't…" Obi-Wan chuckled darkly.

"Despite the fact that I didn't actually need to hear that, I kind of agree with you and I'd _really_ like to address that soon so… please, let's move on."

Link turned back toward the dark shape on the horizon that the spirit guide had pointed out to them and they trudged one final time through the whirling sands of the wasteland. After a few more minutes (or was it another hour? It was getting hard to tell), Link could see that sand around them was beginning to thin out, until finally the wind died down completely, leaving the air quiet and eerily still. With the air clear however, the four travelers could finally make sense of their surroundings.

They appeared to have arrived at a large collection of rocks that formed a thick ring of smallish canyon walls, almost like an oasis made of earth and sand. Smaller rocks dotted the landscape, though they were easily larger than any of the group by far. Palm trees were scattered about, signaling that there was water nearby… and at the far edge was a great cliff wall that had been the dark shape the spirit guide had pointed out to them.

Still no sign of the colossus, though.

Or.. wait.

Link frowned as they ran towards the other end of the clearing, studying the rock face as they drew closer and closer to its edge, When Link was finally able to make out the shape of the woman carved into the cliff face, he nearly tumbled over himself in wonder.

'_Do you..?'_ he asked Ashei, his jaw slack in his astonishment.

Ashei nodded slowly, leaning over to press a gentle hand to his chin to press his lips back together.

'_I do,'_ she replied, her own shock of awe nearly having left her breathless.

Beside them, the two Jedi were in a similar state, quite amazed at the feat of engineering before them. "What a marvel," Obi-Wan breathed, "and who knows how long she has sat here, looking out over the desert…" Anakin nodded, apparently at a loss for words.

They approached the steps, walking through the stone archway that was certainly more than five or six times Link's length in height and about the same distance in width. Above them, the Desert Colossus towered perhaps several thousand feet into the air.

"There doesn't seem to be much outside here," Link observed, noting that spring of water he'd guessed was nearby near a patch of palm trees, their waxy leaves gleaming in the late afternoon sun. Was it really so late?

"Well then why don't we try inside?" Ashei suggested, shrugging. "I mean, this is what we came for, isn't it?" Link's gaze flickered in her direction before he frowned at a particularly jagged crack in the stone porch. "Well yes, but that's not what I meant…" he trailed off, glancing around them.

"I mean, you'd think we'd know if there was someone else still out here…"

Ashei blinked, and the implication of Link's words suddenly dawned on her. She too glanced around at their surroundings, noting how pristine and undisturbed the area was. It appeared as though no one had been here in quite some time.

"Oh. _Oh_. I see now."

Obi-Wan sighed deeply and walked a few more steps towards the entrance of the temple. "Well, there's nothing we can do about that now so why don't we have a look inside like Ashei suggested? As the two of you have both observed there isn't much that we can do out here."

Navi, who just now realized that they were no longer wandering about in the whirling sandstorms of the wastes, popped out from underneath Link's hat and began fluttering about, the soft jingling of her wings the only sound for miles as they crept into the darkness of the Spirit Temple's entrance. Sensing how much sound she was making, she increased the brightness of her figure until one could hardly make out the contour of her shape, though the extra light was a boon to them as they entered the first room of the temple.

Like most of the entrances of the temples, this one was fair wide and the walls stretched far above them to meet the ceiling. A grand staircase made of stone led up to the next level, flanked by two statues of cobras, their wide gaping mouths sprouting sharp looking fangs and in place of their eyes laid glittering rubies that glared at them from above.

Anakin whistled. "They didn't spare any expense on this place, let me tell you. Those are some wicked looking statues."

He stepped further into the room, but he paused when he caught some movement at the edge of his vision… he gasped, leaping forward into a roll where he landed at the edge of the stone staircase, two large pots flying past his ears and into the walls above the others. All five turned to look at the remains, which fell to the ground with a soft tinkling clatter.

"What was that?" Obi-Wan mused, picking up one of the pieces of pottery.

Ashei frowned, studying the remaining shards on the ground. "Huh. Looks like it was possessed by some malevolent spirit… not very bright, though. Otherwise it might've done better with its aim."

Anakin gave her a withering look. "Malevolent spirits, huh? Oh, great…"

"Par for the course, Anakin," his master reminded him, "We've had worse." Anakin grunted, but he knew his master was right. Link, sensing that no more flying pots were to come after him on the stairs, climbed them to investigate the second level. Here were a pair of Armos Knights sitting on a dusty red carpet, though he wasn't about to touch them to find out if they were the kind that moved or not, so he smartly avoided them instead.

There were also two doorways here branching out at his left and right. The left door was little more than a crawlspace that only a child could crawl through…

Link froze, and a little chill went down his spine. Ashei's ears pricked, and she turned her head in his direction, asking a silent, _'What is it?_' as he studied the door opposite the crawlspace. A large block seemed to impede their progress here, a crescent moon and star emblazoned on its marble surface, which gleamed in the soft torchlight the room provided.

'_I just… have a strange feeling about this place, that's all.'_

Ashei scowled in his direction, to which Obi-Wan asked, "Is everything all right?" when he noticed her sour expression. She jerked her head in Link's direction.

"This place… seems like there's no way to progress here. I don't get it."

Anakin picked up on the source of their discussion and went to stand next to Link in front of the block. "Can't you push it?" he asked pointedly. Link's eyebrows furrowed closer. "No, I don't think so. This block is much bigger than the others I've pushed, and it's made of pure marble, not granite or limestone." To prove his point, he braced his feet on the sand covered floor and pressed himself against it. As he predicted, it wouldn't budge.

He sighed deeply. "I just… don't understand it."

Ashei felt a wave of sympathy wash through her as she watched him, still standing at the foot of the steps with Obi-Wan and the broken pottery. Something glittered in the light of the setting sun that filtered through the entrance, and she glanced in its direction. The source appeared to have come from the two cobra statues flanking the steps, and she stood there, studying them for anything that could have…

She blinked, trying to make sense of what she was seeing.

"Hey Link," she called distractedly, "come back down here." He turned to her, puzzled, but did as she asked, Anakin following in his wake.

"What is it?" he asked, and Ashei pointed at the statues. "Do you see that? When the light hits the surface of the cobras' collars just right…" Link tilted his head, and each of the surfaces began glittering with the same feathery etchings he'd seen several times now. He gasped, but the movement caused the light to change, and the markings faded. Link cursed under his breath.

"It needs light…" he hissed softly, but his words were enough to spark a thought in Ashei's mind. Studying her right hand, she thought back to the power that she'd inherited from her father; her light magic.

Filling her fingers with light, she flicked them in the direction of the statues, droplets of pure light magic flying and spattering against their glassy surfaces.

"That should do it, I think," she said quietly, watching as the specks of light stretched to fill the surfaces of the cobras' collars, revealing the scripts in their entirety. Link's gaze shifted to Ashei, his lips turned upwards in a sly smile. "What a clever thought, my dear!" he breathed, "To use light magic in order to keep the writing visible…"

He glanced back up at the statues, unaware of the endearment that had slipped past him, whispering the text under his breath as he read.

Ashei flushed slightly at his words, though she quickly realized he hadn't seemed to catch that he'd even said it, which made her smile a little knowing that his feelings for her had reached such a level that he was bestowing such kind words on her without a second thought… and yet she could see his expression change as he read over the words, a cold feeling beginning to creep down her spine.

"Link," she pressed impulsively, "what is it?"

He turned, not just to her but also toward the entrance, where a flash of energy could be detected from outside. It was… familiar, and even the two Jedi could tell what had caused it.

"Sheik," Link responded in a low voice, and he began to fish for the Ocarina in his pockets as he walked back out of the Temple to greet their visitor.

He was perched high up on the stone lintel, but after Link caught a glimpse of the bright red of his single visible eye he jumped down to their level, landing gracefully before them. Despite his mistrust of the stranger, Anakin couldn't help but whistle appreciatively at the man's skill. Beneath his cowl, Sheik grinned.

"Took you long enough to get here," he purred, "but I suppose I cannot fault you for that. The desert is a dangerous place after all."

"Well why drag us all this way if we can't even get inside?" Obi-Wan pressed, "There doesn't seem to be any way forward… wasn't this place once used for the Gerudos' rituals? Where are the paths that _they_ used?" At these questions, Sheik's mischievous nature turned serious, and his sharp ruby gaze narrowed in Obi-Wan's direction.

"All very good questions, Jedi," he sighed through a hiss, "but the pathways used by the Gerudo were sealed long before Nabooru even made it out here by the very people that arranged her disappearance. At least," he seemed to pause for dramatic effect, "that is what I have been able to discover. There _is_ a way to progress, though. Isn't there, Hero?"

Link grunted, his left eye twitching. Sheik chuckled.

"Oh, do forgive me. I keep forgetting to call you by name, Link. But you know of the method of which I speak… the Master Sword…"

Still, Link remained silent, glowering quietly as he stared at Sheik, patiently waiting for him to continue. Sheik liked to hear himself speak, if he remembered correctly, and if he could just wait for long enough then he wouldn't have to explain what he had to do to Ashei and the others… again.

"What about the Master Sword?" Ashei prompted, realizing that Link was busying playing mind games with the Sheikah. Sheik hummed softly to himself. "The Master Sword, it is a ship through which you can sail upstream and downstream through time's river… and the port for that ship is the Temple of Time." Link, seeing that the Sheikah had played right into his hands, pressed two fingers to the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"We know this, Sheik. What is it you want us to know?"

Ignoring Link's mutterings, Sheik continued, "To restore the Desert Colossus and enter the Spirit Temple, you must travel back through time's flow… and return here as a child. I can teach you the melody that would lead you back here without the need of the desert's spirit guide… would you learn it?"

His tone was softer here, almost apologetic, and Link could sense he hadn't meant to offend with his repetition. The Sheikah had pulled out his harp and was eyeing the Ocarina that Link was slowly spinning about in his hands.

"Well?"

Link closed his eyes and nodded slowly. "Go ahead."

Sheik began to pluck out a hauntingly beautiful melody on his harp, which Link began parroting back to him after a second time. The music was rich and melancholy, echoing a deep sadness hidden deep within the sands. This one was shorter than the others, but no less entrancing or captivating. Each of them seemed to hold their breath until the music ended, after which Sheik gave Link a short nod with his head.

"It is called the Requiem of Spirit. It will bring you here when you have need of its gift. Now… we must part ways again, I'm afraid."

"Again?" Link asked him. "Will this be the last time we meet?"

Sheik chuckled softly once more and shook his head. "No, Link. This will not be the last you see of me, I promise you. But be quick about it, the wrath of the Evil King is stirring, and he will not wait for you to come to him if you tarry… good luck." And with that, he threw down a Deku Nut and was gone after the echoes of the flash disappeared from their eyes.

It was silent for a while, for no one seemed to want to speak. The music had left them speechless, and the sunset's sleepy atmosphere didn't help matters. But in the end, it was Obi-Wan that managed it.

"So you need to go back in time again to open the way for us? How does that work, exactly?"

Link sighed, folding his arms across his chest and staring intently at the ground. "There's some treasure on the western half of the Temple that can be used to open the way to the east. Something… silver. Or that's what those cobra statues back there were hinting at. Don't know what it means, but it's the only lead we've got."

He shrugged, and flashed them a sheepish grin.

"Sorry to leave you out here like this, but I don't think it'll seem terribly long to you if I use the songs to travel quickly from place to place. I might not even be gone for more than hour…" he looked at Ashei, her face a mixture of emotions. "I'll come back in one piece, I swear it," he promised her. She nodded slowly. "You'd better," she told him, "I'll turn you into pieces myself!"

Link laughed, and the sound of it seemed to brighten Ashei's dour mood.

"That's my sweet," he muttered, before nodding to his other companions. "Why don't you see if you can catch us some dinner? It's awfully late, and I wouldn't mind having something to munch on when I get back." Obi-Wan glanced around, wondering exactly what there was to catch around here, but nodded anyway.

"We'll see what we can do."

Having mostly assured his traveling companions that he'd be back soon from his errand, Link called Navi to him, pressed the Ocarina to his lips, and was gone in moments.

"You know," Ashei said after a minute had passed, "I hear fried Leever isn't half bad… want to see if that's true?"

* * *

><p>I do apologize for the ten pages or so of LinkOC fluff… but I had a feeling it was time to get Link out of his shell about being unclothed around other adults. After all, each time Anju offered to let them bathe for the night, he wasn't terribly keen on the idea, so getting him to strip down to nothing with someone he was more comfortable with (i.e. Ashei) seemed necessary for his character.

I wonder when he's going to realize how openly affectionate he's being towards Ashei… or when I'll be able to write another chapter.

My comics have been taking up quite a bit of my time, but I've sworn I'm going to finish this someday, so please don't give up on it if you haven't already. Maybe now that I'm in the spirit of writing again, I'll be able to continue with it, but maybe not. I've got transfer stuff I have to worry about, my art classes, looking for a job so I can pay for gas and whatnot…

But I promise I'll do my best. Much love!

- Hikari no Vikki


	28. Spirit Temple: Part 1

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Absence Duly Noted – Spirit Temple Part 1**

Title: Legend of Zelda - The True Force

Chapter: 28

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Action/Adventure

Disclaimer: Even if I did own this, I wouldn't be making much money from it considering how often people read this…

Description: A modern Hyrule is in chaos. After reconstruction from the receding sea, the New Hyrule is literally built from the ashes of the Old Kingdom. However, history is destined, or rather, determined to repeat itself.

**Author's Notes-**

Ugh, so much for that 'spirit of writing' I mentioned last time…

Anyway, at the request of a friend who was in need of more Zelda fanfiction (mine, if I had to guess), well here's an update. Go on, have fun.

* * *

><p>Returning to the body of his younger self felt no less <em>wrong<em> than it had the first time Link had had to return to the past in order to progress in a temple. He sighed, running a small hand through his hair, noting how short it was and remembering that Ashei (the adult one) preferred it long.

"I don't suppose we have to set foot outside the Temple this time, do we?" he asked his fairy companion. Navi shook her head slowly, her glow dimming so that he could perceive her humanoid shape.

"No, I suppose not. Just play that song Sheik taught you and it'll take us to the Spirit Temple…"

She glanced at him warily, her arms folded against her chest.

"Do we have all the supplies we need?" she asked pointedly. "I don't want to have to warp somewhere else after we've been through a quarter of the temple and you go and tell me that we need more bombs or something." Link chuckled, rummaging through his hat and his pockets to take stock of their inventory. He nodded, satisfied with their provisions.

"No, I think we're all good on those, Navi. Let's just head over there and get this over with, yeah?" She nodded, and no more than a few moments later were the boy and his fairy gone in a swirl of color and music.

.oOo.

Ashei let go of the arrow knowing that it was headed straight for the Leever she'd been tracking for their dinner. Her aim was true, however the Leever had decided at that moment to burrow underground, thus her arrow passed over it, missing the creature by half a foot as it rattled against the canyon walls. Ashei cursed under her breath.

"Stupid creatures," she hissed, her left eye twitching as she went to retrieve her arrow.

As she drew closer to the wall however, she became aware of a familiar jingling sound… were there fairies nearby? She glanced around, trying to see if they were hiding in the sand somehow, or perhaps behind one of the giant rocks jutting out from the dunes?

There didn't see to be any… but then she heard it again. She frowned, pressing herself against the canyon walls to inspect it. Lo and behold, Ashei could pick up a faint chorus of fairy song from behind the wall, and so she stood back to examine the structure. A large crack had formed over the years from where the sand met solid rock; and an idea began to form in Ashei's mind.

Picking up the arrow she'd dropped, she notched it against her bow a second time, taking a few steps back from the large crack in the wall. She drew the string back, filling the arrow with a dose of light magic – hopefully enough to demolish the wall without damaging the integrity of the tunnel beyond.

Then she let it fly.

Quickly she turned her head away and raised the arm not holding her bow to cover her face from the flying debris. Once the dust settled, she inspected the larger hole to see if she'd done it right, and… yes! Enough of the rock had fallen away so that she could now access the tunnel beyond but no damage had been done to the structural integrity of the tunnel itself.

She glanced down, hoping to find her arrow again, but all that seemed to remain were a few splinters of wood and a mostly scorched feather that was as likely to crumble if she so much as looked at it wrong. Well, that was what she got for using an arrow instead of a bomb, she supposed.

So she simply shrugged and entered the tunnel instead.

At first it was just darkness, and if not for the dim light of the desert behind her and the flickering speck in front, she might have tripped over her feet onto what was slowly becoming a tiled path. Eventually though, the light of the desert disappeared and the soft golden glow before her intensified until it revealed a large room lined with sparkling waterfalls of what looked to Ashei to be liquid glitter made of rich amber and orange hues.

Two marble braziers that flanked the crystalline pond before her cradled sparks of flame colored an unusually happy yellow… and then she glanced down. There before the pond, etched in a fine gold print… was the symbol of the Royal Family. The Triforce.

Suddenly she knew what this place was: a Great Fairy's Fountain.

Glancing back down at the symbol, she frowned. She knew what you had to do to summon one of the fairies, but did you need an instrument to activate the summons? She took a few steps towards the symbol, and slowly the chorus of fairy song drew to a soft hum. This was, she guessed, probably how the Great Fairy could tell what song was being used to summon her.

"Well," she murmured to no one in particular, "let's give this a try, shall we?"

Ashei coughed once, licked her lips, shuffled a bit… and then began to whistle. She took great care to make sure each note was as resonant as possible, just as it might be if Link were playing his Ocarina. She needn't have bothered, though, for not a moment after Ashei had finished the last bar of the song did the waters of the pool shimmer and a woman's laugh could be heard, echoed by the giggling of a hundred unseen fairies.

She was quite literally larger than life, with golden eyes and a mane of bright blond hair bound in three braids by some of the thick vines that covered her body and clothing. Ashei noticed that this fairy wore a slim gown the color of burnt umber, which complemented her pale skin quite nicely.

"Welcome, Priestess," the Great Fairy greeted her as she gracefully locked on ankle behind the other as she floated languidly in a relaxed sitting position before Ashei. "I am one of the Great Fairies of Magic."

Ashei frowned. "Priestess? But…"

"You are the daughter of the High Priest, are you not?" the fairy asked, raising a single eyebrow in question. Ashei nodded slowly. "Yes, but I've never had any formal training…"

The Great Fairy shrugged.

"A fact that matters little in the grand scheme of things. Now, I know that my sisters told me that I was to give this spell to the Hero, _however_… I think you'll have much more use for it than he." Ashei blinked stupidly up at the woman. "A... spell?" The Great Fairy nodded. "It is a powerful shield that, when cast, will engulf its intended target and keep them from harm. It is meant to be used in emergencies only, though… when things are at their most dire and your very life is on the line. Will you accept this?"

Ashei thought for a moment. Such a spell _would_ be quite useful indeed. It would help put her mind at ease about Link, knowing that she now had _something_ that might make a difference if something like what had happened in the Shadow Temple happened in reverse…

She nodded fervently. "Yes, I'll accept."

The Great Fairy returned Ashei's nod with that strange sage-like air of hers, and suddenly Ashei found her senses responding to an unknown question as her hands reached out; waiting to be given something. The Great Fairy waved a hand in Ashei's direction, and a tiny ball of white light grew in her hands until it was about the size of a grapefruit, its blue flames licking her skin, amazing her with how tender their touches were.

"Now, accept the spell's power," the Great Fairy instructed.

Ashei nodded slowly, and quickly pressed the ball against her chest. It nearly floored her with the flood of emotions caused by the initial wave of magic, but eventually she was able to regain control of her wits and her bearings so that she at least did not look the fool in front of a Great Fairy.

The magic was… incredible. It felt as though it were composed of nothing but love and kindness, but she knew that if she wished it, anyone her thoughts desired to protect would be protected if she only gave the magic permission. She shook her head. It wasn't a power she needed just now, so she gently coaxed it into a dark corner of her mind where she could keep tabs on it whenever she needed it. The Great Fairy smiled serenely at Ashei.

"It is called _Nayru's Love_. Now, I am going to return to sleep, Priestess… but should you be weary from your battles, please do not hesitate to return here so that my darlings can soothe your wounds…"

And with that she was gone, disappeared back into the pool.

Ashei turned around and didn't look back, but as she made her way out into the fading sunset, she could hear the distant singing of the fairies start up again, as though she had never been there at all.

.oOo.

Link blinked sand out of his eyes as he stood at the entrance of the Spirit Temple once more, this time feeling quite small because of his height, or lack thereof. He glanced behind him at the remains of a small camp, evidence that someone was or at least _had_ been here recently.

He ran forward across the carpet leading up the stairs, ducking so that the possessed pots would sail right over his head as they attempted to attack him (they did indeed appear to not be very bright as neither spirit seemed concerned that they had missed their target at all). But it was the sight that greeted him when he reached the top of the stairs that interested him the most, and that was the person crouching next to the crawlspace in the wall…

"Stop where you are," the figure spoke softly, "or I will shoot you where you stand." Link couldn't help the gasp that escaped his throat, but he did manage to stop where he was as he watched the person get up and turn around.

He blinked, recognizing the figure as one of the Gerudo, but something about her told him that this one was different. It might have been her white uniform decorated with gems and colorful jewels, but regardless she frowned at him when she realized what it was she was looking at.

"What? A child?" Her frown deepened, and she scrutinized him even further from where she stood. Link shifted in place, feeling quite uncomfortable under her hawk-like stare. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" She snapped, but then she paused as another thought struck her and then she glared at him again and added, "How did you even get here anyway?"

"That's… kind of hard to explain." He said slowly.

She folded her arms over her chest and gave him one of those 'well try me' glares. Link sighed, knowing he was going to have to trust her with everything in case this was indeed the person he was looking for. He pulled the Ocarina out of his hat, and he watched as the woman's eyes widened in surprise when she laid eyes on the instrument.

"But that's…! That's the Ocarina of Time!"

Link nodded. "This is how I got here. I… traveled to the future and made it here as an adult, but I couldn't get any further in the temple. Someone was waiting for me though, and they taught me the song that would transport me here as a child."

The woman laughed, a cross between a snort and a chuckle.

"You? A little boy made all the way out here?"

Link sighed, exasperated. "I _said_ I was an adult." The Gerudo's laughter trailed off then as she studied him once more, her eyes lingering on the instrument in his hands.

"You couldn't possibly…" she whispered, so softly that Link had to strain to hear her. She rubbed her knuckles against her lips – something Link guessed to be a nervous habit of some kind – but after a few more moments of her intense scrutiny, she made an indignant sound in the back of her throat and moved her hands to her hips.

"You know what, it doesn't matter. What matters more however," she added, "is why you've come in the first place."

Link paused to think. Should he tell her why he was really here, or…

"I have the Ocarina," he replied quickly, "why do you _think _I'm here?" The woman scoffed again. "Impossible. A child would never be sent on such a quest." He gave her yet another exasperated look, this time not bothering to hide it. "That's because I wasn't a child when it was given to me. I'm only here now because I needed to be small enough to fit through there."

He jerked his head in the direction of the crawlspace.

Her gaze followed his, and when she looked back at him, a curious, pensive expression filled her features. Link frowned, not sure if the look meant he was in trouble or not.

"You want access to the temple? Huh. Fine, be my guest." She swept her arm in the direction of the crawlspace, though Link could tell that the grand gesture lacked the charm of honesty it needed to be real. He frowned, folding his arms over his chest.

"And what do you want in return? I'm not stupid, I know you won't let me through for free." The woman seemed surprised at his words, but she recovered quickly by mirroring his posture with crossed arms of her own.

"I want the treasure from inside the temple. You bring it back here to me, and then I'll consider us even. Oh, and you'll know it when you see it, they'll be a pair of gauntlets with silver plates – too small for your hands." She gave him a look that told him he shouldn't even think about stealing them, to which he inclined his head.

"Of course. I'll bring them to you."

He made for the crawlspace, but she called, "Hey kid!" after him just before he was about to crouch. He glanced back, turning slightly to face her. "Yes ma'am?"

She blinked, this time truly taken aback by his politeness. Shaking her head, she asked, "What's your name, anyway? Just thought I ought to ask."

"Link," he told her, "My name's Link."

She nodded slowly, tasting the name on her tongue. "Link. Yeah, got it." The woman made another sound in the back of her throat, this time sounding more amused than annoyed. "And I'm Nabooru, queen of the Gerudo. Do be careful inside, this place is sacred to my people." Then she turned without another word, presumably heading for the camp he'd seen outside.

He blinked stupidly after her – that was Ganondorf's wife!

He wanted to go after her and ask her so many things, but she was already out of earshot and he had to go into the temple and see if there was any kind of way to get to the other side, though he had a feeling those gauntlets were the key…

Maybe, he thought as he muscled through the crawlspace, maybe he could convince Nabooru that she needed to go back to her people instead, because they would need her so very much in the future.

.oOo.

Nabooru sat on the steps before the entrance, the heat of the midday sun barely noticeable against her dark skin. She appeared to be lounging, but her mind was consumed with thoughts of the boy, the boy _and_ the Ocarina.

If he had it, then that meant that the siege had already taken place, the High Priest was either dead or dying, and that her partner would soon turn his attention to finding her. It was either that, she supposed, or he might send someone after her.

She had a feeling it wouldn't be any of her attendants, either.

Nabooru sighed, pulling her knees up so that she could dig her elbows into her thighs and rest her chin upon her hands. She hoped that the boy was successful before they found her… or at the very least before those who were searching for her found _him_.

.oOo.

After having discovered that all of the doors (including the one beyond the second crawlspace) were locked, Link had deduced that there had to be some kind of magic that would trigger at least _one_ of the doors if he killed the Armos Knight in the center that he'd been avoiding.

He'd tried killing all the Keese, but that had been hoping for a bit much.

So he threw his boomerang against it to activate it, following that with a quickly tossed bomb and leaping out of the way as it spun about the room in a crazed dance before promptly exploding.

"Huh," said Navi, "what an interesting mechanism. I wonder how it works, exactly." Link shrugged, his magic surging through him in a flash as the newly unlocked door opened and he stepped through it.

"Motion sensors, probably. But there was obviously some kind of magic involved." He glanced around the new area, his eyes catching on the crystal switch at the other end of the room just before a large Stalfos jumped from the shadows on the ceiling, nearly landing on top of him.

Or at least it seemed large… Link would remember later that it was simply because _he_ was smaller.

He yelped in surprise, charging forward as the magic of _Farore's Wind_ spell rushed through him, and he quickly spun about so that he sword could cut through the spine on the back. He didn't quite get through it entirely, though, because he was holding the Kokiri Sword instead, and the Stalfos quickly turned around and hit him with its shield, bashing him against the wall.

Link groaned, but he hadn't suffered much injury. This time when the creature lunged, he dodged to the side and swung his sword again, and the Stalfos stumbled back, feet teetering precariously on the edge. Navi fluttered nearby, her light glowing green and startlingly bright as she blew in its direction, toppling it into the abyss.

She chuckled. "Never underestimate a guardian," she told Link simply.

Link returned her chuckle as he waited for the green bubble floating in the middle of the room to move before he threw the boomerang to hit the switch behind the metal grating. "I won't," he replied, and he caught the thing as it came back to him and the metal grating fell to bridge a path across.

When the door to the next room closed behind them, Link frowned.

A thin creature with a dog shaped head and wrapped all over in bandages floated in the center of the room, which had yet another large chasm all around. It seemed to be a theme for this temple, Link decided, having pits with bottoms so far down you couldn't see the end.

"What is that thing?" he asked Navi, making note of how it seemed to mirror his movements, if only in reverse.

She frowned at it, shrugging. "I have no idea. But… it _is_ covered in bandages… maybe it's flammable?" Link glanced at her and then returned with another shrug. It was worth a try. So Link performed the _Din's Fire_ spell as he had when he'd lit the torches to open the Shadow Temple, letting the fire explode around him until it engulfed the creature, the fire catching on the flammable bandages and burning the creature with it.

That seemed to do the trick, though, since the next door opened up for them once it was fully gone. "You know," Navi told him as they entered the next room, "it looked kind of like one of those Anubis things Saria used to talk about. She said that if you stood near one long enough, they might breathe fire at you."

Link scoffed lightly. "Glad we didn't stick around then."

He was about to take another step into the room when Navi gasped and bobbed up and down in a warning jingle.

"Hey, be careful! There's a Wallmaster somewhere in this room!"

Link sighed, deeply this time. "Oh, wonderful. Well, I should kill it before we do anything else… otherwise I'll be running around in circles the entire time…"

Muttering curses under his breath, Link walked out into the middle of the room, eyeing the Fire Keese fluttering in the corner. He swore that he could almost feel the weight of the Wallmaster's shadow as it grew around him, but the instant it became nearly unbearable he jumped forward in a roll and swung backward at the large purple hand until all of the fingers lay scattered in the dust, sickly yellow blood oozing from the flesh.

Link shuddered. "That one was a lot bigger than I remember…"

"You were a lot bigger then too," Navi pointed out. Then she heard the flapping of wings behind them and turned, gasping as she saw the Fire Keese making a beeline for the two of them, the scuffle with the Wallmaster having appeared to catch its attention.

"Link, look out!"

As quick on the draw as usual, Link ducked once he caught sight of the Keese, but even as it was falling to the floor as a pile of burning ash, Link could feel the skin on his right arm begin to crisp, pain prickling in hot waves that made his eyes sting just a little.

He cursed, fishing around for a bottle of red potion in his hat. "I forgot about that Keese, blast it," he sighed deeply, struggling to keep his arm from twitching when he pressed a cloth soaked with potion against the burn. "We all make mistakes," Navi told him. "And, isn't that what I'm here for?"

She flashed him a grin and he offered a small smile in return. Even here in the past, he still had Navi to look out for him.

Once he was satisfied that the burn was healed up enough, Link stuffed everything back into his hat and turned his attention to the silver rupees floating around the small room and the key slot in the grate that would bridge their way across the newest chasm.

"Would you mind fetching the ones up high, Navi?" he asked as he picked up the ones on the ground,

"Not at all," she chirped cheerily, and this time when the grating fell and more Keese flew in through the opening it created, Link was ready for them.

As their bodies burned and fell, Link saw two unlit torches on the other side, immediately letting two small ember fly from his fingers to ignite the oil on their tips, kindling the flames. "Wow," he whispered, rubbing his fingers together, "I'm getting pretty good with that." Then a loud _clunk_ sounded behind them, and they turned to find a small chest sitting on the red carpet next to another torch.

"Guess I got a little carried away… I was probably supposed to use that, huh?"

Navi shrugged. "Probably. But the end result is the same, isn't it?"

Link kicked open the chest and pocketed the key with the Spirit Temple's emblem etched on it. "I suppose. But I probably shouldn't be so quick to use my magic, either." Navi nodded in agreement and they exited the room, finding themselves back in the first room they'd come after entering through the crawlspace.

"So we've come full circle…" mused Link, eyeing the crawlspace in the middle of the two doors. "Time to check out that door behind the crawlspace and make some progress, hmm?"

After unlocking the door on the other side they found themselves in a small dark hallway that led to a climbing wall infested with…

"Skullwalltulas!" Navi shrieked, promptly diving for Link's hat at the sight of them. Link sighed. "Really, Navi? I thought we were over this…" Pouting, she stuck her head out from beneath the rim as he picked them off with his slingshot from the safety of the ground. "I had. A bad. Experience." She told him seriously, pointedly stressing her words to get her meaning across.

Link shrugged. "All right, then. Just try to keep your head on straight whenever we walk into a room with them? I can't have you freaking out on me if it's really important that I need your help or something."

Navi's expression pinched a little, but she couldn't stand the thought of Link needing her help and her failing to give it to him. What kind of guardian fairy would she be then?

"Of course, Link. I promise."

Said promise was promptly tested when Link reached the level above and two Lizalfos set themselves on him while still more Skullwalltulas screeched on a wall nearby. So Navi did her best to ignore them while she flew around the reptiles' heads, distracting them so that Link could get them at their most vulnerable and quickly.

It didn't take long, and the Lizalfos barely left even a scratch.

"Whew," Link breathed sharply, pausing a moment to allow his body to adjust to standing still again, "Strange how that always seems to get both easier and harder to do every time." Navi nodded in agreement and waited patiently for Link to snipe the spiders on the walls while she stared at the creepy sun face on the floor.

"I get the feeling that this face here is supposed to help us progress, but… how, exactly?"

Link studied the wall across from them where the spiders had been lurking and he noticed a spot between the rocks where a little light shone through. "Perhaps we're to clear the wall so we can let some light on it?" He folded his arms across his chest and frowned at it, puzzled. "But how? I couldn't throw a bomb that high even if I wanted to."

"You could try blasting it with magic, maybe?" Navi suggested, "Or perhaps the Force? All we need is to loosen some of the smaller rocks and they'll all come crashing."

Upon closer inspection Link could see that Navi was right, and that while the rocks seemed tightly packed into that little space, all that most of the larger ones hinged on were a few of the tinier ones set near where the light fell through the cracks. Link focused on them, on the potential energy inside them, digging into the place his Force powers lay so that they could help him pry the rocks from their resting place.

Immediately he came to a resistance; the larger rocks above the smaller ones. But at least one of the small rocks had moved… and that was progress. All he had to do was keep it up, little by little. He could almost picture his mental muscles straining under the weight of the energy above him, but it was the Force that made him strong and allowed him to make steady progress.

Then finally he felt the weight on his mind lift, and one of the smaller rocks had come free! It was hovering in the air for a brief moment to which Link's exhilaration knew no bounds – and then some more of the smaller rocks fell.

Quickly he stumbled backwards, letting go of the pebble he'd pried from the wall and allowing it fall with the others. Soon the larger rocks began cascading to the floor in a rush of dust and heat, but when the dust cleared and the energy in the room was calm again, the sun was at last beaming onto the symbol on the floor and filling it with color.

Navi wrinkled her nose at it. It looked even more creepy with its eyes open and it fiery spindles writhing about like snakes. "I'd say that does it," huffed Link as he wiped a little sweat from his brow. "We should hurry up and move on so that we can get back to the Lady Nabooru."

Ah, that was right. Navi had almost forgotten about the Gerudo woman, but now that she had been reminded there was no more time for dawdling.

Once they were through the door the two could immediately tell that they had come across the central room of the Temple, for the ceiling was almost so high they could hardly make out the edges of the ceiling, and it was apparently large enough to hold another statue of the Colossus, though this one appeared to be only half as large and infinitely more detailed despite the fact that it looked like it hadn't been maintained in ages.

A cursory glance and some quick exploration told Link there was little he could do in this room as a child, but the Armos Knight next to the door they'd entered was harmless and was quite a good substitute paperweight to hold down the blue switch that opened the door on the next floor.

There was also a small pedestal in front of the Colossus sat between two unlit torches that Link immediately set to flame and activated the spell that revealed a large chest containing the map of the Temple.

"It seems that's all we can do here for now, Navi," he observed as they made their way back up to the door they'd unlocked previously. "But I have a feeling we'll be coming back once we return to the others."

Navi nodded in agreement. "Yes, I think so too. But you have to admit it holds a certain kind of… majestic appeal to it, no?"

Link supposed it did. The entire desert seemed like that to him, even the people that mostly lived here: weathered and sturdy and just a little imposing, but overall quite beautiful and inspiring.

After passing through the small carpeted hallway behind the unlocked door, they entered a small room littered with glittering silver rupees, unlit torches, and three Beamos Statues. Link sighed, handing Navi his wallet. "I don't mean to keep asking this, but could you gather the rupees for me while I deal with the torches and the Beamos?"

Navi shook her head as she took the wallet, telling Link gently, "It's no big deal. I feel quite useful like this, actually!"

And so the two went around the room completing their assigned tasks, and once everything was done, the shade that had been hiding the sunlight was lifted and now light spilled in a wide circle onto the floor, the Beamos were gone and Link now had yet another small key sitting in one of the pockets on his belt.

"All right," Navi huffed, noticing that the door with the bars in front of it was still locked, "now what?"

Link pointed to the silver blocks in the center of the room.

"There's one of those creepy suns on one of the blocks over there. It's fairly simple, actually, if not a little tedious."

"Oh good," she murmured drolly, "I'm not the only one who thinks that sun face is about to molest me." Link laughed, and it made the task of shifting the boxes around a little easier. Eventually he managed to drag the block with the sun face into the light so that – finally – they could unlock the second to last door and move on.

"Just one more door," Link muttered as he glanced over the map, and then there's something called a… throne room? Huh. Odd." He frowned at it and then shrugged. There were two throne rooms on opposite sides of the map, but the one that they were currently heading towards as they walked up the set of carpeted steps had a chest at the end of it labeled 'Silver Gauntlets' which made him certain they were going the right way.

The feeling that danger was nearby settled on his shoulders like a thick mantle once the last door locked shut behind him. Navi quivered under his hat, also sensing that they were being watched. Link looked around the L-shaped room, willing his feet to become lighter as they padded across the carpet, but once he peered around the large stone column to his left: he stilled.

A large humanoid _thing_ sat in the throne at the end of the room, just feet away from the door that separated them from the Silver Gauntlets on the other side. It sounded and seemed to breathe in long, rattling breaths that made the hairs on the back of Link's neck stand on end, not to mention the thick heavy armor it wore and the large, very _sharp_ looking axe that sat in its seemingly relaxed hands were all very intimidating.

"Navi?" Link asked, not daring to say much of anything else.

"Sorry," she replied softly, "I don't know…" she trailed off, pulling the fabric of his hat tighter around her. Link frowned at the thing, daring to step closer so that he could get a better look.

Was he supposed to fight it to open the door?

He stopped when he was but a few feet away from it, his sword drawn. Navi noticed this and shrieked, "What are you doing?! We don't know what this thing does!" Link's brow furrowed in frustration but he replied calmly with, "I know that, Navi. But the doors are locked and the only other thing in the room with us is… _this_." He sighed deeply. "What else am I supposed to do?"

Navi growled softly until she wriggled from underneath his hat to hover on the edge of his vision.

"Well, fine, but don't go blaming me if you end up dying or something."

Link flashed her a grin, but it failed to reach his eyes. "The idea is that I _don't_ die," he told her, and then he swung his sword across the center of the creature's chest.

Almost immediately, it flared to life.

In the same time it took Link to jump backwards once and then perform a Force-aided back flip in order to get away fast enough, the dark eyes of the helmet flared to life, blazing a sharply piercing red and it stood from its throne, slashing once at Link with its axe at the place Link's head had just been only moments ago.

"Might I suggest avoiding the axe?" Navi chimed.

Link grunted, too busy trying to stay alive to reply with anything else. The thing was big and heavy, but despite all the armor it wore the thing was surprisingly _fast_ too, and it came at him with all the speed and fury of a flock of angry Cuccos.

For a while, Link used the columns of the room to hide behind while he looked for a weak spot, but the force of the axe was strong enough to knock them clear across the room when it was swung, and eventually there weren't any more columns to hide behind. It was fortunate that Link had been able to spot the layered strips of leather that bound the plates of the chest armor together before the last column fell, and he didn't wait for the smoke to clear in order to strike.

_Clang!_

Yes! He'd gotten the armor off, now it had a proper weak spot! He grinned, but it was quickly lost when he realized that without its armor it was now faster and gained more mobility with which to swing its axe.

It charged him, and Link barely had just enough time to raise his sword to protect himself from the first strike only to have it fly from his hand and leave him defenseless against the second that cut across his chest and threw him forcefully against the wall. He wished, only briefly, that he were an adult again so that he could've been strong enough to use the Hylian Shield strapped to his back before he heard someone screaming his name.

Though he would later remember that it had been Navi, sobbing hysterically and bobbling frantically in and out of his spotty vision that had prompted him to act, in that moment all he could think of was Ashei and the Jedi, and what might happen to them if he never returned. How might things have gone if he wasn't there to draw the sword again? How keenly would the world feel his absence?

How long would it take for the Princess to triumph over the Evil King? Was he not a member of the house of her knights? Who would have the courage to help her and the others save the kingdom, if not him?

It was that last though that lit the tiny spark inside his mind, rapidly evolving until it became a blinding, golden force that dripped from his hand and fingers, and arched, lightning-like, across the air as he flung his left hand, palm open, toward the creature's chest, hitting it dead center. Strangely it did not fly across the room as he had, rather it froze there, stunned, and then began to burn so hot the flames were only just the slightest shade of light blue, armor and all.

Link's head began to clear a little once the danger had passed, but the cut on his chest was deep and bleeding quickly, not to mention he had the sneaking suspicion that something had broken inside, probably a rib. He groaned when he pressed his tunic against the wound, his face twisting in pain. How was he going to get out of this one?

"Link! Link! Wait, stay with me!"

His ears twitched at the sound, and he turned head toward it, something that didn't hurt quite as much as the broken rib did, he noticed. He still couldn't feel the sting of the cut yet, but if he didn't stop the bleeding soon, he wouldn't live long enough to feel it.

"Navi?" he croaked, trying not to cough.

"Wait!" she called anxiously, "Hold on! I've found a healing fairy!" Link sighed in relief. "Thank the goddesses," he murmured, and at once he caught sight of a pink ball of light with wings that instantly dimmed to reveal a young male fairy with a worried expression.

"Just hold still," the fairy instructed, laying his hands above the wound.

Slowly, the cut on his chest began to close, though it stung like hell just then, especially once whichever of his ribs had broken began healing itself too. Link's eyes stung and his chest still burned as though the cut were still open and bleeding, but all that was left was a ridged scar were the cut had been, and he wasn't in danger of dying anymore.

"Thank you," he said to the fairy, who smiled at him reluctantly in return.

"I – I just heard the Lady Guardian – I mean I just heard screaming and it sounded like someone needed help," he murmured, a flush across his face turning it nearly as pink as his hair. "I'm glad I was able to get here in time. It was nothing." Then he cleared his throat and glanced at Navi once before looking away quickly.

"Sorry, but I really should be going. The Great Fairy will be angry with me if she knows I went this far into the Temple without telling anyone…"

And then he left, leaving Link and Navi to wonder at his meaning.

Then the moment passed and Navi turned to Link with a sigh. "Oh, I'm just glad you're all right. I really thought you were about to die for a second there." Link nodded slowly, rubbing his fingers absently against the scar on his chest. "Yeah, so did I. Thanks for the quick thinking there."

Navi thought to ask him about the spell he'd cast to defeat the creature, but just then she didn't want to ruin the moment, so she kept quiet instead.

After a few more moments in which Link took the time to clean the blood off his skin and repair his clothing, Link used the wall to help himself stand so that he could retrieve his sword and put it back in its sheath where it belonged and then walk through the door at the other end so that they could finally get their hands on the Silver Gauntlets they'd been sent here for.

.oOo.

Nabooru's eyes combed the desert sands for any sign of any assailants. Not only that, but her senses were on high alert, searching for any dangers that her eyes _couldn't_ see.

It had been hours since she'd sent that boy to get the gauntlets, and still no sign of him. It was beginning to worry her. What if the Iron Knuckles were still active? Sighing in frustration, she ran her fingers through her wild red hair, moving to stand since sitting was proving difficult just then.

Heavy wing beats startled her out of her reverie and she looked up to find the source. She was relieved to find that it was only an owl. Though, upon close inspection, she thought that it was awfully large for an owl…

Perhaps that was one of the goddess' advocates, and if so, then the boy was –!

Something tripped her mental alarms and she drew her scimitars faster than one could blink, her body instantly shifting into a fighter's stance.

"Oh, come now," said an elderly woman, voice sickly sweet and dripping venomously, "is that any way to greet your mother-in-laws?" Nabooru growled as two older women, perched on elegant, mechanical brooms seemed to melt into existence in front of her. If she hadn't _seen_ their invisibility spell before then it might have impressed her, but it did not.

In fact, their flagrant use of the Gerudo magic only incensed her more instead.

"Come to fetch your son's unruly, wayward wife, have you, Kotake?" she spat, bits of spittle landing in the elder woman's (quite literally) fiery hair. The other woman, whose hair was a shockingly bright blue with steaming dry ice strewn throughout like pearls, sneered in her direction, following the shrieking Kotake around her in a tight circle.

"Fetch you, kill you, he didn't specify." She grinned, and just as she was about to cast her spell, Kotake interrupted.

"Now, now, Koume," Kotake admonished, "I thought we agreed on something else, yes? Something to make our little desert flower just a bit more… useful."

Nabooru froze. She didn't like the way the elder woman sounded just then.

"Oh yes," Koume crooned; quite delighted with the prospect of whatever they had planned, almost gleeful, even. "Yes, that will do nicely, yes… a good wife must be obedient after all. Shall we get started, sister?"

"Yes," Kotake agreed, "yes, let's."

Just before the spell hit, Nabooru closed her eyes and prayed to the goddesses that her people might forgive her for her absence.

.oOo.

Not long after the great owl had left, supposedly for the last time, Link pulled the Silver Gauntlets from the chest on the open hand of the Colossus, his finely tuned senses picking up on the magic they were quite soaked in.

"No wonder they're supposed to help increase one's strength," he marveled, "the magic in them alone could probably move that block in the entrance."

He moved to pocket them so that he could give them to Nabooru to use as he'd promised her, but just then a scream echoed across the desert and a sick feeling of dread struck like a shard of ice through his heart. He rushed to the edge of the fingers of the Colossus, hoping to find whatever had made the sound, but by the time his eyes locked onto the sight below him, he had already guessed whom it had belonged to.

Nabooru was waist deep in a magic portal swirling with purple-black magic that tasted foul, even from this distance. The women casting it _had_ to be the two women Basht had mentioned raised Ganondorf as a child, but that made the scene all the harder to watch.

"Kid!" she screamed, her body sinking further into the abyss, though she fought as hard as she could.

Immediately he knew she was talking to him.

"Take those gauntlets and get the hell out of here, do you here me?! Run, kid, run! The lives of our people depend on it!"

For a second he thought she might have spotted him standing on the ledge, but then her head went under and the portal began to close.

"We need to leave, before they find us, too!" Navi squeaked.

Link wholeheartedly agreed. Without even realizing he'd put away the gauntlets and found the Ocarina instead, Link was well on his way back to the future by the time the witches even noticed that the gauntlets were gone.

* * *

><p>Well, again I would like to apologize for the considerable gap in updates, but… yeah. I actually managed to snag a job over the summer (not permanent, but it's something to put on my resume and it'll help pay for some of the college bills), and combined with Nerdcrafteria's new season of FTB and my own lack of desire to write, that's the reason this was so late in getting to you all.<p>

Seriously though, I still care, I'm just at that part of my life where I'm doing other things, you know?

Hopefully the next gap will be much less shorter than the last,

- Hikari no Vikki

P. S. And no, I haven't seen the Italian Job, but my parents quote it so much it's almost as if I have.


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